Podcasts about Usagi

The fourth and final episode in our series on the Jinshin no Ran: we cover the campaign in Afumi (aka Ōmi - 近江).  Prince Ōama and Prince Ōtomo (aka Kōbun Tennō), have drawn up their forces.  Last episode we covered the fighting in the Nara Basin, around the ancient Yamato capital: Asuka.  This episode focuses on the defense of the Karafu and Fuwa passes and the eventual march to the bridge at Setagawa. This is a name heavy episode, and we'll be noting some of it here: https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-132   Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this is episode 132: The Jinshin no Ran, Part 4: The Afumi Campaign The Afumi soldiers on the western side of the bridge looked across the open expanse of water towards their Yoshino rivals on the eastern side.  If it weren't for the banners and the red tags barely visible on the sleeves of the opposing forces, it would be hard to know which side was which.  Both were equipped in similar ways, and a few of the soldiers could even make out familiar faces on the other side.  That is the nature of civil wars—especially in a conscript society, where the soldiers often had little choice which side they were fighting for.  Not that it necessarily mattered much to them which side came out on top, whatever their commanders might have told them. The bridge across the Seta river was large and wide, and normally quite well traveled.  Now, however, the central boards had been pulled up for a span of about 30 feet or so, leaving a gap spanned by only a single, narrow plank.  That plank was, itself, tied to a rope, which was being held by the Afumi troops.  The soldiers knew that should any of the enemy try to cross, they could pull the plank out from under them and they would fall into the river, their metal armor dragging them down into the dark depths of swirling water below.  Even should they somehow make it across without being peppered by arrows, there would be no reinforcements coming: they would be slaughtered, and the trap would be reset. It seemed like the Afumi forces held all the cards in this battle, and yet they were still tense. Archers could still shoot across the distance. The front rank of troops held wooden shields as a defense, but there were still openings in the formation and the armor, and in the chaos of battle, nobody was truly safe. And so the Afumi forces waited.  Confident, but wary. A commotion on the eastern side of the bridge grabbed the spotlight.  The Yoshino forces had approached, and they were clearly preparing for something.  The Afumi soldiers strained to see what was going on.  Suddenly, the front line of the Yoshino forces parted, and a strange sight confronted the Afumi soldiers.  It took them a moment to fully comprehend what was barreling towards them at full tilt: a soldier that looked almost like two soldiers put together, wearing armor placed over armor, in an attempt to protect from harm.  It must have been heavy, and as he stepped on the beam, it visibly buckled under the weight.  The Afumi archers let loose with their arrows and crossbow bolts, but to no avail.  They simply stuck in the armor, adding to the bizarre and otherworldly appearance of their opponent. The spell was broken on the Afumi side as arrows came cascading in.  The Yoshino forces weren't just sitting idly back, they were making sure they were doing everything they could to keep the Afumi forces distracted.  And for a split second it worked—and a split second was all they needed.  Before the soldiers could gather up their wits about them enough to pull the rope there was a terrifying sound of metal on wood.  The Afumi soldiers pulled the rope, but it came all too easy—the Yoshino soldier had dashed across and cut the rope tied to the plank.  Behind him, the Yoshino forces were now pouring across the bridge.  Soon they would establish a foothold, and behind the front line they would be able to have other soldiers place more planks so that the number of Yoshino soldiers on the Western side of the bridge only continued to increase. Realizing that their trap had been circumvented, the Afumi forces fell back, but their strategic withdrawal soon turned into a full on retreat.  While pockets of soldiers resisted, many were suddenly all too aware that perhaps it was better to live and fight another day, instead.  Despite threats and even attacks from their own commanders, the Afumi forces fled the battlefield, leaving the Yoshino army victorious.  With the Seta bridge now secured, there were no more major obstacles in their way:  They would march to the capital at Ohotsu and finish this war.   Welcome back!  This is Part 4, and so if you haven't already done so, I recommend going back and starting with Part 1.  That said, we'll briefly recap here. Over the past three episodes, we've talked about the causes of the war between Prince Ohotomo and Prince Ohoama as they vied for the throne.  Prince Ohotomo seemingly had the stronger position, as he was actually running the Yamato state from the Afumi capital in Ohotsu.  He had the various ministers and all the official organs of the state on his side.   He was also 23 years old. Ohoama, on the other side, was Ohotomo's paternal uncle.  His own son, Prince Takechi, was 19 years old and helping to lead the army.   Upon learning that the State was gathering forces against him, Ohoama had quickly moved east, gathering forces as he went, and now he stood near Fuwa, modern day Sekigahara, prepared to begin his march on the capital.   This episode we are going to cover the conclusion of the war.  Warning, though, this is going to be a *lot*.  A lot of place names and people names.  Apologies if it is hard to follow.  I'll have a rough map and info on the various players on the podcast blog, so you may want to bring that up if you are having problems following. In Part I of this series we covered the causes leading up to the conflict.  In Part II we covered Ohoama's mad dash to Fuwa, at modern Sekigahara.  Last episode, Part III we covered the fighting in the Nara Basin. This episode we are going to talk about the last two fronts of the war: the defense of the Iga area and Kurafu Pass, and the march from Fuwa to the Afumi capital of Ohotsu. Before we go into the details of the next battles, let's look at what each side of the conflict was doing, what they are concerned about, and where they are on the board.  We'll then go into how the rest of the war played out, and its conclusion and aftermath.     Ohoama's Yoshino forces had largely been drawn from the countries in the east—the very same countries that Ohoama was denying to the Afumi court.  In response, the Afumi court had drawn their forces from where they could.  There were those that they had already called up under the pretense of building Naka no Oe's burial mound, but they had sent others out to raise troops in Yamato and out the western side of Honshu, all the way to Tsukushi—modern Kyushu.  However, not everyone in the Western region of the archipelago was friendly to the Afumi court—especially the regions of Kibi and Tsukushi.  This was significant.  Kibi was an ancient rival of Yamato, and likely could contribute a sizeable force.  Tsukushi, on the other hand, was quite large, and besides the conscripts from among the regular inhabitants, Tsukushi also was in charge of defending the archipelago from invasion—they were the first line of defense.  They had constructed numerous castles and fortifications to defend against a possible invasion, and those castles and fortifications were no doubt manned by troops that had been raised for that purpose.  If they could now be turned inwards, that could be enough to really turn the tide against Ohoama and his Yoshino army. The only problem was that neither Kibi nor Tsukushi were exactly sympathetic to the Afumi court.  The governor of Kibi and Prince Kurikuma, the viceroy of Tsukushi, both had ties to Ohoama, and the ministers suspected them of sympathizing with their Yoshino rivals.  As such the envoys that were sent out were authorized to take whatever drastic steps they felt necessary to secure the troops. So how did that all go down?  Well, last episode we talked about how Hodzumi no Momotari and his crew had been stopped from raising troops in Asuka by Ohotomo no Fukei, whose bluff of pretending to be Prince Takechi and a host of cavalry soldiers caused the conscripted troops to flee, and ended up in the death of Momotari and the capture of his compatriots. In Kibi, things took a turn in Afumi's favor.  When the Afumi government's envoy arrived at the government center in Kibi, he tricked the governor into taking off his sword.  Once he had done so, the envoy drew his own sword and killed the governor.  Without the governor to get in his way, the envoy then went about securing the land and troops for the Afumi court. Prince Kurikuma, the viceroy in Tsukushi, at the Dazaifu, was not quite so easily fooled, however.  Kurikuma knew how the court operated, and was apparently well informed of what was going on.  When the Afumi court's envoy met with Kurikuma, the Prince was flanked by two of his sons, Prince Mino and Prince Takebe, each one armed.  When Prince Kurikuma heard what the Afumi court wanted—for him to send the troops from Tsukushi to help quell Ohoama's rebellion—Kurikuma responded that he needed those troops to hold the border.  After all, the Tang dynasty was still a potential threat, and what good would it do to send the troops from the border regions to fight an internal war, only to then have an invader come in and destroy the state entirely?  No, he reasoned, he would not be sending the troops as the Afumi court requested. We are told that for a moment, the Afumi envoy thought about grabbing his sword and killing Prince Kurikuma, as the Afumi court had suggested, but with both of Kurikuma's sons armed on either side of him, he realized that he didn't have great odds, and so he eventually left, empty handed, but alive. This is significant.  While we don't know exact numbers, it is likely that there were quite a few troops stationed in Kyushu and the islands, all in case of foreign invasion.  By not supplying them to the Afumi court, Prince Kurikuma dealt a huge blow to the Afumi's ability to make war.  Add to that the fact that Ohoama had likewise blocked the court's access to the eastern countries, and that further narrowed the troops that Afumi had access to.  Nonetheless, they still had enough to be dangerous, and it is impossible to say exactly what might happen in a war. So we know where the Afumi and Yoshino forces ostensibly came from, but let's talk about the battlefield.  All of the fighting that we talk about was happening in an area between Naniwa—modern Ohosaka—and Fuwa, modern Sekigahara, northwest from the modern city of Nagoya. There are three main theaters we are talking about.  The first is in the Nara basin, which we talked about extensively in the last episode.  The Nara basin itself was not necessarily of the most strategic importance, militarily, but it was of huge symbolic importance.  After all, that was still the ancient capital, even though the governmental functions had been moved north, to Ohotsu, on the shores of Lake Biwa.  The second is in the Suzuka mountains.  This includes the areas of Iga and Kouka, and it is bordered by the Nara basin on the west, the Mie coastline on the east, and Afumi, the area around lake Biwa, to the north.  This is the same region that Ohoama had to naviagate through on his way from Yoshino to the east, and the mountains and valleys make it so that there are only so many traversable routes through.  For our narrative we are going to be primarily talking about the Kurafu Pass, between Kouka and Iga, at modern Tsuge city.  This pass  was an important route between Kouka, Iga, and Mie.  The road followed the Soma River which eventually flowed into Lake Biwa.  This made it a route out of Afumi, and if the Afumi forces could secure the Kurafu pass and the fields of Tara, just on the other side, they could split Ohoama's forces and cut off any help that he could possibly send to the Nara basin, and possibly even take Ohoama from behind. Finally, let's talk about our third theater:  Afumi itself.  Specifically, we are looking at the southern and eastern sides around Lake Biwa.  Biwa is the largest lake in Japan, and it is almost entirely surrounded by mountains except for where the Seta river flows south, eventually winding its way to Naniwa.  Today, the area of Afumi is largely co-located with modern Shiga Prefecture. Back in 668, after finding themselves on the losing side of the Baekje-Tang war, Naka no Oe, aka Tenji Tennou, had moved the capital to Ohotsu, or Big Port, in Afumi, on the shores of Lake Biwa, likely for the protection it gave.  From Afumi, there were three major routes out of the basin, and a few minor ones.  All of them were through defensible mountain passes, like Karafu Pass, Fuwa Pass, and Suzuka Pass.  Three such passes:  Fuwa, Suzuka, and Arachi would become prominent barriers, or seki, along the ancient roads, and were known as the Sangen, or Three Barriers, protecting the capital region.  Suzuka no seki, at the pass of the same name, was in the south.  To reach it from Afumi, one crossed the Karafu pass, and then turned east through a pass near Mt. Miyama.  At the northern tip of the Suzuka mountains was Fuwa pass, future home of the Fuwa barrier.  The Barrier, or “Seki” would give its name to the area in another form:  Sekigahara.  This was along the Tousandou, the Eastern Mountain road, and even today it is the path through which roads and even the Shinkansen traverse between eastern and western Honshu.  Finally, though less important to our story, was the Arachi pass. Arachi no seki was part of the Hokurikudo, the Northern Land Route, and led to the ancient country of Kochi and the port of Tsuruga, which had a long history as an alternate port, especially for ships sailing from Goguryeo.  Later, Arachi no seki would be replaced in the Sangen ranking by another pass between Afumi and modern Kyoto, which would be known as the Afusaka, or Ohosaka, Pass.  This was the pass that would have been used to get to Yamashiro and, from there, to Naniwa and the Nara Basin. These three passes would come to define the island of Honshu, and became the dividing line between the Kanto region, in the east, and the Kansai region, in the west.  By holding the Suzuka and Fuwa passes, Ohoama effectively denied any travel to the eastern regions.  Sure, Afumi could have tried going through the Arachi pass and into Kochi, but then they would have had to traverse the Japan alps—no small feat, especially without modern conveniences like the trains and busses used today. From Fuwa Pass, where Ohoama and Prince Takechi had set up their headquarters, it was largely a straight shot to the Afumi capital of Ohotsu.  Between Lake Biwa and the Suzuka mountains is a wide, flat plain, divided primarily by the rivers and streams running out from the mountains into the lake.  Immediately west of Fuwa is the area of Maibara.  Following the shore of the lake one traverses through modern Hikone, to Yasu.  Yasu would also have been the location where the road to the Karafu pass broke off into the Suzuka mountains.  Beyond that was the bridge across the Seta River. The Seta river was one of the largest obstacles that would have to be negotiated, and the Afumi forces knew this.  Just as Ohoama would set up at Fuwa pass, a large number of the Afumi forces were set up on the western bank of the Seta river.  If the Yoshino forces could get across, however, it would mean that they had a more or less unimpeded route to the capital at Ohotsu. So now let's talk about what was happening in each of these places. Ohoama had set up at Fuwa—Sekigahara—and had begun to call soldiers to him.  Not only did did this allow him to block the rival Afumi troops from accessing the Eastern countries and possibly raising troops to use against him, but he was also able to maintain a line of communication with ancient Yamato, in the Nara Basin.  In order to keep his communication lines open, and to ensure that the Afumi forces couldn't sneak up behind him, Ohoama split his forces in two.  He knew that Afumi forces were trying to take his stronghold in Yamato, and if successful, from there they could move in to Uda and on to Iga.  thereafter that, they could march up behind him through the Suzuka pass.  Alternatively, the forces in Afumi could come up through Kouka and the Karafu pass, and then try to divide and conquer So the first group of Ohoama's army were to go south, through the Suzuka pass into their mountain namesake.  Once there, Oho no Omi no Honji was to hold Tarano, the Plain of Tara, where the routes to Suzuka, Kafuka, and Iga met.  Tanaka no Omi no Tarumaro went with him, with orders to guard the Kurafu pass, which is to say the road to Kouka.  This first group was headed by Ki no Omi no Abemaro, and also included Miwa no Kimi no Kobito, and Okizome no Muraji no Usagi.  Along with what we are told were tens of thousands of men, this first made their way south from Fuwa  through Mie and Ise and over the Suzuka pass.  Once there, they took up their positions at Karafu and Tarano.  It was a good thing, too, because only a couple of days after they arrived, the enemy struck.   Now as soon as he got there, Oho no Honji had fortified Tarano with some three thousand men, and Tanaka no  Tarumaro was sent to guard the Kurafu pass.  Prior to this, Tarumaro had been the official in charge of the Hot Springs in Ise, but he had joined Ohoama and the Yoshino forces when they first arrived over the Suzuka Pass.  Now he was in charge of a military force, encamped along the road through the Kurafu pass, waiting for the enemy. Unbeknownst to him, a deputy commander of the Afumi forces, Tanabe no Wosumi, was approaching from Mt. Kafuka.  Presumably he'd been sent out from Ohotsu and had followed the road along the Yasu and Soma rivers towards the pass.  Wosumi had  sizeable force with him, but he was not looking for a direct assault.  Even if he would win, he would suffer casualties, especially trying to attack an entrenched enemy in a fortified position.  He needed to be sneaky.  He had no way of knowing that, centuries later, the lands of Iga and Kouka would be known for their sneaky warriors—their legendary ninja—but I digressed.  What Wosumi did was this.  First, he rolled up his banners and muffled the drums.  He even had his men gag themselves—a continental custom where soldiers were given a stick to hold in their mouth, like a horse's bit, to discourage any talking amongst the ranks as they approached.  Presumably, they kept them in until just before attacking, because they also devised a watchword “kane”—transcribed as metal or gold.  Wosumi knew that it would be hard enough to tell who was who in the daytime—after all, it wasn't like these were regimented forces with uniforms.  The soldiers were likely all wearing whatever they had available, and clothing and armor would have been similar across the two armies.  At night, even some kind of mark or flag would hardly be enough to tell who was who in the dark.  As lines broke and melee ensued, it would be easy to get turned around, and find yourself facing a friend.  By saying the watchword you could distinguish friend from foe. Sure enough, this tactic worked.  The Afumi forces broke through the Yoshino fortifications in the middle of the night and swarmed into the encampment.  Men who had been asleep were waking up to chaos.  Tarumaro's Yoshino soldiers were thrown into confusion.  Tarumaro himself, escaped, but just barely.  we are told that he noticed that the enemy kept shouting the word “kane”, and so he started doing it as well. The Afumi forces, assuming he was one of their own, left him alone.  Still, he only escaped with difficulty. His escape was no doubt critical, however.   He presumably would have headed to Tarano to try and warn Oho no Honji, but this may not have been possible, as we are told that on the following day, after the attack at Karafu pass, the Afumi commander Wosumi continued his advance, and came upon the Yoshino encampment at Tarano unexpectedly.  Still, General Honji did not back down.  With a force of hand-picked soldiers, Honji counterattacked against Wosumi and struck him.  We are told that Wosumi made it out—the only one who did—but that he did not try and make another attack.  The Yoshino forces would ultimately hold the pass and the critical juncture of Tarano.  The Afumi forces would not get a second chance. By the way, a quick note here:  I can't help but notice a bit of a trope showing up in these stories:  At Narayama, General Fukei is defeated, and is the only person who makes his escape.  Then Tarumaro is the only person to escape his defeat.  Finally, Wosumi is the only one of his forces to leave the plain of Tara. I am more than a little incredulous that these generals are the only ones who actually survived, and that the rest of the army was slaughtered.  In fact, you may recall that at the battle at Taima, General Fukei told his men not to pursue the fleeing common soldiers.  As I've tried to point out, the common soldiers were not likely as invested in the cause.  In fact, it is just as possible that the common soldiers may have changed sides and joined the other army if they thought it would serve them well.  Or maybe they were escaping and just blending into the countryside.  After all, the elites weren't really spending the time to get to know them, let along record any details about them.  So I suspect that it was more about the fact that the various armies would be broken, and the soldiers flung to the four corners, rather than that they were necessarily slaughtered.  After all, if you had the choice, would you have stayed there? A few days after Wosumi was defeated, the Yoshino general that Ohoama had sent to Iga along with Honji and Tarumaro, Ki no Omi no Abemaro, heard that their ally, Ohotomo no Fukei was in trouble in the Nara Basin.  He'd been defeated by the Afumi general Ohono no Hatayasu at Narayama,  and without reinforcements, the entire Nara Basin could fall, along with the ancient Yamato capital at Asuka. So Abemaro sent Okizome no Muraji no Usagi with more than a thousand cavalry to go assist.  They met Fukei at Sumizaka, and suddenly, things were looking up in the Nara Basin.  For more on how that turned out, check out last episode, where we covered the events in the Nara Basin. Once the events in the Nara Basin settled out, then both the Nara Basin and the Karafu pass would be well and truly in the hands of the Yoshino forces.  But there was no way for those guarding those locations to know that the fighting was over, and they would have to hold their positions until the fighting had definitively stopped.  Which brings us back to Ohoama and the Yoshino troops gathered at Fuwa, where things were about to kick off as well.  The troops at Fuwa, while being led by Ohoama and his 19 year old son, Takechi, were placed under the command of Murakuni no Muraji no Woyori—who, , as things progressed, would be noted as the primary general for the campaign that would lead Yoshino troops from Fuwa, on the offensive towards Ohotsu. The only reason that they seem to have waited before going on the offensive was that every day, more troops were coming in.  So even as the fighting was going on in Nara and at the Karafu pass, the Yoshino army at Fuwa gathered men and made their preparations.  As they did so, the Afumi court Was going to do whatever they could to try and break them, hoping that they could stop the threat posed by Ohoama and his men before they began their march. For the Afumi forces first attempt to break the Yoshino defenses at Fuwa pass, they picked troops to try and make an incursion into the village of Tamakurabe, which appears to have been in the pass itself; it was probably modern Tama district of Sekigahara.  They were repelled, however, by Izumo no Omi no Koma, who drove them off. Later, the Afumi court ordered another force of several tens of thousands of men to attack under the command of Prince Yamabe no Ou, Soga no Omi no Hatayasu, and Kose no Omi no Hito.  Soga no Hatayasu and Kose no Hito were both part of the inner circle of the Afumi court, or so it would seem.  When Prince Ohotomo had taken the reins of the government in a ceremony in the Western Hall of the Palace, he was attended by the ministers of the right and left, as well as Soga no Hatayasu, Kose no Hito, and Ki no Ushi.  They were at the very heart of this whole matter.  Prince Yamabe is a little bit more of a mystery.  We know he was someone of note, and when Prince Ohotsu was brought to his parents, they were apparently traveling under the guise of Prince Yamabe and another prince, Prince Ishikawa.  But we know little else. The three men and their Afumi troops headed out and camped on the bank of the Inukami river, near modern Hikone.  There, however, trouble broke out. The Nihon Shoki does not record exactly what it was, but there must have been some kind of falling out.  Prince Yamabe no Ou was killed by Soga no Hatayasu and Kose no Hito.  We don't know if this was due to some quarrel or what, but either way, it threw the army into a state of disarray and there was no way for them to move forward.  Soga no Hatayasu appears to have taken responsibility for whatever happened, as he headed back from Inukami, presumably back to Ohotsu, where he took his own life by stabbing himself in the throat.  There would be no attack on Fuwa Pass, however. Finally, the Nihon Shoki also recounts the story of another Afumi general, named Hata no Kimi no Yakuni, and his son, Ushi.  Together with others, who remain unnamed, they surrendered themselves to Ohoama and the Yoshino forces, rather than fighting.  It isn't clear if they were deserters, if they had been part of one of the other two attempts to take Fuwa Pass, or if there was something else going on.  Either way, Ohoama was so pleased that he welcomed them in and we are told that Hata no Yakuni was “granted a battle axe and halberd” and appointed a general.  This is probably stock phrasing, but it does seem he was given some measure of trust.  Yakuni's men were then sent north, to Koshi. We aren't quite sure what those forces' ultimate objective was.  It may have been that he was to take the northern pass and make sure that none of the Afumi troops tried to escape and head to the East along that road.  Many of the accounts of this war seem to suggest that he, or at least some part of the forces, were to head north and then come around Lake Biwa the long way.  This would mean that if Ohoama attacked, there would be no easy way to flee.  From Ohotsu they couldn't turn north without running into more troops, and their only escape would seem to be through the Afusaka pass towards the area of modern Kyoto.  And of course, whoever was victorious in the Nara Basin would then be able to control the route to the coast. It is unclear how much Ohoama could have actually known, though, about what was happening across the various distances.  Messages would have meant riders on swift horses carrying them; they couldn't just text each other what was going on. And so, with one attack repelled, another aborted, and a turncoat now on their side, Ohoama's Yoshino forces were finally ready to head out on the offensive themselves.  According to the Nihon Shoki this was on the 7th day of the 7th month—Tanabata, today, but I doubt people were paying much mind to the Weaver and the Cowherd.  Murakuni no Woyori, with the group advancing from Fuwa to Afumi, set out, and met with their first resistance at the Yokugawa river in Okinaga.  As far as I can tell, this is likely the Amano River in modern Maibara, which anyone who takes the Shinkansen between Kanto and Kansai probably recognizes as one of the usual stops.  Once again, we have a situation where, while they would have had banners flying, in the crush of battle it could be quite easy to mistake friend for foe, especially with large numbers of troops who were pulled from vastly different regions.  You had to have some way of knowing quickly who was on your side – that's why the Afumi commander Wosumi had his troops use the password “kane”, for example.  Ohoama's approach was to have his men place a red mark—possibly a ribbon or similar—on their clothing so that one could tell who, at a glance, was on their side.  As a note, later samurai would sometimes attach flags to their shoulder armor, or sode, and these “sode-jirushi” would help identify you even if people didn't recognize your armor.  Ohoama's troops may have used something similar. And so Woyori's Yoshino forces attacked the Afumi defenders, and the Afumi troops were clearly outmatched.  Woyori's men killed the Afumi commander and defeated the opposing forces. But that was just the beginning.  Afumi forces had been stationed all along the route from Fuwa to Ohotsu.  Thus it was that only two days later Woyori and his men made it to Mt. Tokoyama, probably in Hikone, by the Seri river.  There they met more Afumi soldiers, but once again they were triumphant and slew the opposing commander.   Woyori and his men were on a roll. I would point out that these battles aren't given much detail, but we do see how it progressed.  There are names of various individuals and commanders—certainly not much on the common people.  From what we can tell, this was not a rush to Ohotsu, but rather a slow march, probably doing their best to fortify their positions and make sure that nobody was sneaking up on them.  After each battle, it is some days before the next, probably spent spying out ahead and formulating plans. Woyori and his men next fought a battle on the banks of the Yasukawa River, presumably near modern Yasu city.  Here, Aston's translation claims that he suffered a great defeat, but more likely I suspect it means to say that he inflicted a great defeat on the Afumi forces, because if he had been defeated, how would he have pressed on only a few days later.  We are told that  two men, presumably the Afumi commanders, were both taken prisoner. Since we don't have anything more about them in the narrative all we can really do is assume that they must have therefore been on the side of the Afumi forces. By taking Yasu, that would have likely cut off the Afumi forces from any future considerations about using the Kurafu Pass.  The noose around Ohotsu was slowly tightening. Four days after that, on the 17th day of the 7th month, Woyori attacked and repulsed the Kurimoto army—presumably a force loyal to the Afumi court under a general named Kurimoto, or possibly raised from a place called Kurimoto, perhaps over on Awaji.  Either way, it was another victory on Woyori's belt. From there, Woyori and his men arrived at Seta, where they would have to cross the Setagawa—the Seta River. The Seta River is a wide river, and the only one flowing out of Lake Biwa.  It winds its way south and west, eventually becoming the Uji and then the Yodo rivers, which flow all the way to Naniwa—modern Ohosaka.  At the Seta river, there was a major bridge, the only way across, other than to swim.  Prince Ohotomo and his ministers, along with their entire army, were encamped on the west side of the bridge.  Their forces were so numerous that it was said you could not see all the way to the back of them.  Their banners covered the plain, and the dust of their movement caused a cloud to rise into the sky.  Their drums and songs could be heard for miles around.  We are told they even had crossbows, and when they were discharged the arrows fell like rain.  Of course, some of this may have just been more poetic license by the authors of the Nihon Shoki, but you get the picture:  There were a lot of troops on the western side of the river. The bridge itself was defended by General Chison.  We know very little of this general, as he only appears in this one part of the record, but his name implies that he may have been from the continent.  We aren't given a surname, and it is possible he was one of the Baekje refugees, now fighting for the Afumi court.  He led an advance body of specially selected troops, and in the middle of the bridge they had removed planks for about three rods or thirty feet.  Across that span was a single plank, daring anyone to try and cross it.  Of course, if they did, they would be a sitting duck in front of the enemy archers, and the plank was attached by a rope so that it could always be pulled out from under them.  It seemed as if it were impossible to advance. Finally, one of Woyori's soldiers, Ohokida no Kimi no Wakaomi, got up the courage to cross.  We are told that he put on double armor, put down his long spear, and drew his sword.  He then charged suddenly across the plank and cut the rope on the other side before the Afumi troops could pull it back.  In spite of the arrows that were raining down on him, he entered the ranks of the Afumi troops, slashing with his sword as he went.  The Afumi forces were thrown into confusion and some of them tried to leave, but General Chison drew his own sword and began to cut down anyone who tried to flee.  Still, he was unable to check the rout.  Woyori's troops secured the bridge and soon were pouring across it.  They cut down General Chison and advanced into the Afumi army, who broke and ran.  The Afumi sovereign, Ohotomo, aka Koubun Tennou, along with the Ministers of the Left and Right, narrowly escaped with their lives. Woyori and his troops marched to the foot of Awazu hill, and we are told that Hata no Yakuni, the Afumi commander who had earlier defected, and whose men were sent north to Koshi, set a siege to Miwo castle along with Izumo no Koma, who had defended against the attempted seizure of Tamakurabe.  Presumably this is Mio, south of Ohotsu, and it was likely guarding the southern approach to the Afumi capital. The only thing here that gives me pause is that we were earlier told that Yakuni's men, after he defected, were sent to Koshi.  So was Yakuni not with them?  Had he returned?  Or had the troops made it all the way around Lake Biwa already, taking the longer route up and around the lake? Regardless of how it happened, Yakuni and Koma were able to take Miwo castle.  As a reminder, a “castle” at this time would have likely been defined more by its walls, which were probably rammed earth and wood—not the elegantly sloping stone walls and  donjon base that would come to typify castles of the Warring States period. The following day, Woyori and his men continued their pursuit.  At the Awazu marketplace, Woyori ran into the Afumi generals Inukahi no Muraji no Isokimi and Hasama no Atahe no Shihote.  We mentioned Isokimi last episode—he was the Afumi commander attacking the Middle Road in the Nara Basin.  His deputy, Kujira, had been defeated, and it seems Isokimi had retreated back to Afumi and rejoined the main force. He would not be quite so fortunate this time.  Isokimi and Shihote were both slain, and Ohotomo fled once again.  He didn't get very far, hiding at Yamazaki, thought to be near the site of the modern city hall, in Ohotsu. Despite his best efforts, he knew he would be discovered, and he eventually strangled himself, rather than facing the humiliation and punishment that would come with capture. With Ohotomo dead, the other ministers of the Afumi court dispersed and fled.  Woyori and his men, meeting up at Sasanami, hunted down the Ministers of the Left and Right—Soga no Akaye and Nakatomi no Kane—as well as others who had fought with Ohotomo and who were considered criminals. They were all marched back to Fuwa, where, on the 25th day of the 7th month, Ohotomo's head was presented to Ohoama.  The war, it seems, was over. Or at least, the fighting was over.  There was still a lot to be settled.  First off, it would hardly have been practical to wipe out every single person on the losing side.  For one thing, that would have devastated the Court even further, likely creating a huge power vacuum.  In addition, many of the supporters on both sides were not necessarily there out of purely partisan reasons.  I would point out that many of the family names that we see in the record are found on both sides of the conflict.  Inukahi no Isokimi may have fought for Ohotomo, but we also see an Inukahi no Ohotomo fighting on the behalf of Ohoama.  Fumi no Nemaro was a major commander in Ohoama's army, while Fumi no Kusuri had been sent by the Afumi court to raise troops in the East Country.  And Hasama no Shihote was killed with Isokimi at Awazu, while a Hasama no Nemaro was working under the command of General Fukei, in Nara, to guard Tatsuta. There wasn't necessarily a simple divide along family lines.  It is possible that these individuals were all fairly well removed from each other, and from different parts of their respective families, or clans. They are often given different kabane, the family rank system used at this time, though I suspect that may have more to do with later changes, with those on the winning side being promoted over those who supported the Afumi court.  However, it is also the case that Japan has a long history of family members supporting both sides in any major conflict.  That way, no matter who wins, the family itself finds itself on the winning side. But there did have to be some accountability.  This is something that one can point to time and again—if the losing side is not held accountable for their actions, then what is to prevent them from just regrouping and trying again?  And yet that need for justice and punishment must be tempered with some amount of humanity. Ultimately, about one month after the end of the war, eight of the Afumi ministers were found guilty of truly heinous offences and they were condemned to suffer what the Nihon Shoki says was the “Extreme Penalty”.  The Minister of the Right, Nakatomi no Kane, was executed at Tane, in Asai.  Meanwhile the Minister of the Left, Soga no Akaye; along with the Dainagon, or Grand Councillor, Kose no Hito, as well as their children and grandchildren, along with the children of the late Nakatomi no Kane and Soga no Hatayasu, were all sent into banishment.  All others were pardoned. And of course those who had supported Ohoama, and who had come to his aid, were given public favour and reward.  In many cases this likely meant receiving high office and corresponding rank, along with increased stipend payments.  There is a notable shift in the makeup of the court, going forward, and it seems clear that families would want to associate themselves with those who fought on Ohoama's side, rather than Ohotomo's, if they could help it.  That was no doubt a part of works like the various diaries and house records that would have been used to compile the Nihon Shoki, recording the deeds that any house did for the throne. Along with all of the punishments and plaudits that were meted out in the 8th month of 672, there was one more event—something of an outlier.  We are told that Chihisakobe no Muraji no Sabichi, the governor of the province of Wohari, went off into the mountains and committed suicide. Sabichi had originally met Ohoama at the Kuwana district house—the local government office—when he had first arrived from Yoshino.  He had a large number of troops—20,000 by the Nihon Shoki's count—which helped Ohoama to ultimately defeat the Afumi court.  So why he would go off into the mountains and commit suicide was anyone's guess.  The Nihon Shoki suggests that it was possible that his allegiance had changed, and he may have been trying to plot against Ohoama.  Perhaps he had been convinced that Afumi court was going to come out on top, and so had begun some plot.  Or he just had a falling out or became disillusioned for some reason.  Whatever it was, it remains a mystery, even today. With the war concluded, it was time for Ohoama to make his way from the field to the Capital so that he could transition to ruling the State properly.  But Ohoama was not interested, it would seem, in setting himself up in his brother's capital.  Setting up in the Ohotsu capital may have raised a few eyebrows.  It had not been a completely popular move to begin with, and it was also the home of the Afumi court's legitimacy.  To take up the throne there, I can only imagine that it would have further reinforced the idea that Ohoama was the usurper, taking the throne that was meant for his nephew.  Instead, he made the decision to travel to the ancient capital, in Asuka, but he was not in a hurry. They headed out on the 8th day of the 9th month of 672, making it from Fuwa to Kuwana.  Here he likely met up with his wife, Princess Uno, and his ten year old son, Prince Ohotsu.  The following day they headed out, traveling back along the route that they had taken from Yoshino, but at a much more leisurely route.  The royal carriage stayed the night in Suzuka.  From there, it was another day to Abe, likely referring to modern Ahai county, in Iga, near Ueno city.  They then continued on to Nabari.  Finally, on the 12th day,they arrived at the Yamato capital—that is to say Asuka—and Ohoama took up residence for a time at the Shima Palace.  This was only, it seems, to give people time to get the actual palace ready, because three days later, Ohoama moved into the Wokamoto Palace.  And with that, Ohoama began the work of running the state—but there was still plenty to prepare.  For one thing, there were foreign embassies—Kim Ap-sil and others arrived.  It was still going to take a while to get the capital ready for guests, though.  From what we can tell, they were probably building a grand new palace, and it would take some time for it to be prepared.  So the Silla embassy was entertained in Tsukushi, where Prince Kurikuma would have been in charge of hosting them.  They were likely filled on the new developments and provided a ship. Meanwhile, Ohoama made sure that all of the appropriate rewards were given out.  On the 4th day of the 12th month, we are told that all those who had rendered services were given higher cap-ranks, based on what they had done. And as the year 672 closes out—and with it, the first of the two Chronicles for Ohoama, the soon-to-be elevated Temmu Tennou. But there is one final entry, marking the death of Wina no Kimi no Takami in the 12th month of the year.  We know that Wina no Kimi no *Iwasuki* was working for the Afumi court, sent to rally troops in the East, but he fled when they encountered Ohoama's troops at Fuwa Pass.  Takami, on the other hand, we know little about, but I suspect may have been on the side of Ohoama.  It is an odd entry, and, like so many, unexplained.  Perhaps it meant something to the people of the early 8th century, but if so, that meaning is likely lost to us. And so we close the book on the Jinshin no Ran—the Jinshin War, or possibly the Disturbance or even Rebellion, depending on how you feel about it.  This account is one of the most detailed we have of this kind of event, and yet it does not seem that it was entirely unique.  There are plenty of indications that previous sovereigns had to fight their way to the throne, or else had to repel others who would try to take it by force.  This was almost a tradition among the royal house of Yamato.  But now that the matter of succession was well and truly settled, it was time to get on with other things. Who knows what an Afumi court may have done and how they could have changed things.  What we do know is what Ohoama—and his queen, Uno no Himemiko—did.  They built upon, or in some cases possibly even fabricated, the legacy of Naka no Oe.  They would set in stone many of the things that had been put in place, and at the same time make certain changes, as well.  The Yamato state was getting started. And we'll start to dive into that next episode.  Until then, thank you once again for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  

In this third installment of our series on the Jinshin no Ran, we are covering the battles that took place in the Nara basin.   Of course, while the fighting focuses on the generals, most of it was done by conscripts--farmers and other common people called up to fight. For more, check out of podcast webpage:  https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-131   Rough Transcript: Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua, and this is episode 131: The Jinshin no Ran, Part 3: Fighting in the Nara Basin   Maro stood under the tsuki tree and gazed at the walls of the great temple.  The gates and tiled roof were truly an incredible sight.  Maro's home wasn't that far away, but until he'd been called up for service to the government, he hadn't thought much beyond the valley where he and his family tilled the land.  Their life had been largely spent in the village, tucked up in the valley, farming rice, hunting in the mountains, and gathering firewood.   He remembered how, years ago, his brothers had been the ones to go and do their service.  They had been called up to build some kind of giant fortress on the top of a mountain.  The stories they  brought back were incredible—it was one thing to hear tales of the outside world from merchants and itinerant priests, but it was different to hear them from someone you actually knew.  Now, it was Maro's turn.  But he hadn't been called up for labor—he was going to have to fight.  He tried to psych himself up.  Many of the men and, frankly, young boys who were there with him were in a similar boat.  Some were old hands, having served multiple times.  Others were new and, like Maro, there for the first time.  None of them were professional soldiers, though you wouldn't know that by the way some of them swaggered through the camp.  They had been called up quickly, with only a little information.  Apparently Prince Ohoama, they were told, had rebelled against the government.  He and his men were gathering in the east and at any moment they could attack the capital in Ohotsu, and from there they would swing down and attack the ancient capital.  So here they were, several hundred conscripts, pulled from households around the ancient capital, gathered and waiting for their weapons and armor so that they could then get their marching orders—quite literally. Suddenly, Maro heard a commotion in the north.  He couldn't see what was happening, but the murmurs turned to shouting.  Prince Takechi, the son of the demonic rebel, Ohoama, was here, coming from the north with hundreds of expert soldiers on horseback!  Panic set in, and even though a few of the officers tried to quell the disturbance, it wasn't enough.  Afraid for what might come, Maro and those like him broke ranks and fled.  Maro gave little thought to what might happen to his family and friends if he deserted—he was no longer thinking rationally.  Along with his compatriots—his would-be brothers-in-arms if they had been given any—he hoped that he could hide, and that, if he survived, maybe, just maybe, he could somehow make it back home in one piece.   Welcome back.  Content warning for this episode—we are going to be talking about war, including death, fighting, and suicide. As I noted at the start, this is part three of our look at the Jinshin no Ran, the Jinshin War—sometimes translated as a “Disturbance” or a “Rebellion”.  This was the war between the supporters of Prince Ohoama, also known as Temmu, and Prince Ohotomo, aka Koubun.  Ohoama's side is sometimes called the Yoshino or even the Yamato court, as he had quote-unquote “retired” from the world and become a monk at a temple in Yoshino, south of Asuka, in the old area of Yamato.  Meanwhile, Ohotomo's supporters were the Afumi court—including most of the ministers running the state from the capital in Ohotsu, on the shores of lake Biwa, the area known as Afumi.  So let's take a look at what has happened so far, and then we can get into the events we are talking about today: a look at the soldiers who were fighting, their gear, and then some of the fighting that went on—specifically the fighting that happened in the Nara Basin.  I'll do my best to organize things based on the rough timeline that they seem to have occurred. Now previously, we had covered how Ohoama, brother to Naka no Oe aka Tenchi Tennou, had given up his title as Crown Prince and retired, supposedly to prevent any concerns that he might rebel and try to take the throne, but this wasn't enough for Ohotomo and the Court, who had begun to raise forces against him.  And so Ohoama and his supporters had just made a desperate dash eastwards, across the mountain roads to Ise.  From there they secured the Fuwa and Suzuka passes, two of the main routes to the East Countries.  Ohoama had then sent out requests for assistance to those same countries, hoping to find allies who would support him against the apparently legitimate government in Ohotsu. We are told that Ohoama was joined at this time by two of his sons: Prince Takechi and Prince Ohotsu. And here I want to pause to note something that I didn't point out last episode: These princes were not quite as old as you might think from the way they are portrayed in the Chronicle.  Prince Takechi, who had been given command of the troops at Fuwa Barrier, was only 19 years old.  Granted, that is only 4 years younger than their rival, Prince Ohotomo, and only a couple of years younger than the famous Minamoto Yoshitsune would be when he joined his brother in the Genpei Wars, over 500 years later.  Prince Ohotsu, however, was a bit younger, as he is believed to have been about 10 years old at this time, which likely explains why he is not so prominent in the narrative.  I mention this because the Nihon Shoki often omits details like age and can make it seem like these were all seasoned adult men and women, when it may have been that they were simply of high enough status to be mentioned, even though others were likely running their affairs for them.  In Prince Takechi's case, while he was likely old enough to take charge of the forces at Fuwa, it is also clear that his father was nearby and overseeing things, so everything didn't rest solely on his son's shoulders. Meanwhile, the Afumi court was raising its own soldiers.  While their delegation to the East was stopped at the captured Fuwa Pass, they also had sent word to the west.  Kibi and Tsukushi are specifically mentioned, but we know that they were raising troops elsewhere, including in the home province regions of Yamato and Kawachi. Here it should be noted that the Nihon Shoki is pretty clearly pro-Temmu, in other words pro-Ohoama.  There is some evidence from textual analysis, however, that the Temmu portions of the narrative differ from the Tenchi portions.  Torquil Duthie, in his book, “Man'yōshū and the Imperial Imagination in Early Japan”, recounts how scholarship has identified at least two—possibly three—different groups of compilers who managed different reigns.  The Tenchi narrative is more neutral, while the Temmu narrative provides a bit more of an accusatory tone, and both narratives provide slightly different accounts of the same events—notably the death of Naka no Oe, Prince Ohoama taking vows, and Prince Ohotomo succeeding his father.  On the other side, Duthie mentions  the Kaifusou, a collection of Sinitic style poetry created in 751, just 31 years after the Nihon Shoki, where in the introduction, the author seems to be much more sympathetic to Prince Ohotomo and his cause, implying that Oama was the one rising up against the legitimate government. I mention this just to help us remember that our primary source is not exactly neutral about all of this, and we should keep that in mind as we are trying to sort out what was going on.  The narrative also often makes it seem as though the outcome was inevitable, but we should remember that at the time all of these events were going down, the people involved couldn't have known how they were going to turn out— in the moment, anything could have happened, especially in times of war. Speaking of which, we know that the two sides were raising troops, so let's talk about what we know about those troops and what combat may have looked like at this time.  While we don't exactly have detailed accounts, there is a lot we can piece together through the archaeological record and other sources.  To that end we have evidence of armor and weapons, as well as shields, and we can also look at haniwa through the 6th and even early 7th century to give us an idea of local armor styles.  Let's first look back on how soldiers were conscripted.  Each household seems to have been responsible for supplying a soldier, when required.  They were also to supply their equipment.  This included a sword, armor, bows and arrows, as well as a flag and drum. In historical parades, today, we often see row upon row of soldiers kitted out in matching clothing, appearing relatively cohesive and well-regimented.  In truth it is hard to know just how similar any one group might have been.  Based on later historical examples, it is safe to assume that many of the soldiers may not have had much armor, if any, and even if they did it might have been made of wood or leather, which were unlikely to survive to the modern day. Of course, I would also question just how often they were able to afford everything mentioned.  And since we are told that as the government was gathering soldiers it was also opening up storehouses of weapons and armor, I suspect that indicates that not everyone had their own.  And even if they did, it may have been of questionable quality. That said, if a warrior did have armor, it was likely one of two types, variations of which were both found on the continent. The first type is characterized by a solid, circular cuirass, often called a “tankou”, or short armor.  These were made of strips of iron that were shaped on a wooden form and then riveted or tied together into a solid cuirass, which is why it is also called a type of “plate” armor.  One side of the armor was hinged and could open so that the wearer could get in.  There are some tankou with a hanging skirt of tassets that flare out as well, protecting the legs, and even examples of pieces that also go around the neck, shoulder guards, and arm guards.  The tankou seems to date from at least the 3rd or 4th century, with changes in design over time, and we know that it continued through at least the 6th century. Compare this to the keikou, or hanging armor.  Keikou was a kind of lamellar armor, made of individual scales, later known as “sane”.  These metal scales, also known as lamellae, were held together with lacing, and made for a much more flexible, and presumably comfortable, armor.  The tradeoff for this comfort was that keikou likely took a lot more labor to make, and thus were considered a more elite armor, possibly used by men on horseback or at least by those leading the troops.  Looking into the future a bit, we know that in the 8th century there were “tankou” and “keikou” being donated to the Shousouin repository at Toudaiji.  However, it isn't clear that “tankou” and “keikou” in the 8th century referred to exactly this kind of armor, and we may have been dealing with something else entirely, because there is a lacuna in our understanding of armor on the archipelago between the end of the Asuka period and the appearance of the more familiar yoroi in the Heian period comes about.  There are conjectured transitional armors, based on continental models, which are thought to have been used.  Still, at this very point in time, when Ohoama is mounting his rebellion against Ohotomo, the Keikou and Tankou are generally thought to have still been in use, and this is generally how you will see the two sides represented. As for weapons, perhaps the most common that we see is the bow and arrow.  Archery is extremely practical, not only for its ability to be used from a distance, but also because in times of peace people can use the same bows to hunt, thus making hunting prowess a kind of stand-in for military prowess.  The way of the bow—in fact the way of the horse and bow, or Kyuuba no Michi—would be the main pillar of martial prowess in the archipelago for centuries.  The iconic sword, while important—it was, after all, one of the three sacred regalia—was more of a side-arm, deployed in close quarters combat.  It was still important, as it could be easily carried with you.  However, it is more likely that massed troops might have had spears and various types of polearms, providing reach.  Those are harder to just casually carry around, however, especially if you are mainly using a bow.  Perhaps that is part of the reason that we don't hear as much about such weapons, and most of the focus seems to be on the archers and on swords. There were also at this time shields.  We know that the Hayato of southern Kyushu were particularly known for them, but there evidence that they were more widely used.  After all, a shield made of wood would have made an important defense against a rain of arrows coming from the enemy. As for the horses, some of them may have even had their own barding, or armor, though I suspect, again, that was rare, and reserved for elites.  All of this together gives us some idea of what it may have looked like when Ohoama and Ohotomo's forces engaged in battle, though it is still conjecture.  We know that they had spears, and swords, and bows.  We know that some of the first men that Prince Ohoama picked up on his journey was to conscript archers to his service, who then were pressed into taking a government post station.    We also don't necessarily see a lot of individual fighting described in the records, though there are exceptions. Later on, there was a tradition of individual warriors calling out challenges in the midst of battle, that became an accepted practice in the early culture of the bushi, or samurai, but we don't see that in the Chronicles.    Certainly we see moments of individual valor which are remembered, likely because of the benefits that the hero's descendants could then claim for themselves.   But for the most part it seems that the people actually doing the fighting were groups of conscripted soldiers, not the hired warriors of later periods.  Even among groups like the Mononobe, the Be of the Warriors, it isn't clear that they would have been the ones on the front lines—not if they could help it, anyway.  Most of these were farmers and similar commoners, who were called up to fight as necessary.  Some of them may have seen action over on the Korean peninsula, or even in local skirmishes.  Others would have been fresh out of the fields, joining the ranks for the first time.  They were not exactly volunteers, but also didn't have much of a choice.  It was the draft on steroids. I also suspect that the act of conscription, where a soldier was offered up by a household, or family,, meant that desertion would mean that their family would be punished. While the elite generals providing the men were no doubt gauging how this would affect their own political and economic fortunes, I imagine that the average soldier had much less agency and could look forward to many fewer rewards.  In fact, I suspect his main goal would have been one of survival.  Perhaps if one fought well, they could earn something more for themselves, and perhaps there were cultural concepts of loyalty to one's local elites and leadership.  And maybe there were leaders who inspired them to do great things.  However, works like the Nihon Shoki were rarely concerned with the lives of the common people, except when it shined a light on the sovereigns and their court.   It was much more concerned with how this affected the upper caste of society. There is also the question about just what kind of fighting this system led to.  Again, these are not the bushi—a warrior class who prided themselves on their martial prowess.  And neither were they standing armies.  While there were likely some who regularly served and trained and found they had a skill at war, how many were simple farmers who were now holding a spear instead of a spade?  These are things to keep in mind as we follow along with tales of glorious victory or ignoble defeat. So, that's a glimpse at who was actually doing the fighting.  As for the timeline of the battle, let's get into it.  But first, a caveat:  as we should be used to by now, the exact chronology of the events listed in the Nihon Shoki is not entirely clear.  The Nihon Shoki provides a narrative, but often it includes actions that took several days or even weeks on a single date where the events apparently culminated.  Using cues, such as “one day later” or such things, we can piece together a narrative, but I may not have it 100% accurate.  It doesn't help that the Nihon Shoki seems to focus on different campaigns separately, even though much of it was happening at the same time.  That's compounded by the fact that all of this was being recorded much later, and so there is also a great possibility that even some of the seemingly clear dates were also wrong, or were adjusted to make for a better flow in the narrative.  So I'm going to do my best to piece together what I roughly feel was the chronological order, but just be aware that dates may not be all that precise.    In the coming conflict we see several main arenas.  First, there is the area around Lake Biwa, from the Fuwa pass towards Ohotsu.  This was Ohoama's main path to try and put an end to this whole affair—to make his way to Ohotsu, the capital, and cut off the head of the snake.  To do that he would have to leave his defensive position and venture out around the lake, where Afumi forces no doubt lay in wait.  At the same time, there was also fierce fighting in the Nara Basin, with Yoshino and Afumi forces clashing there across the plains.  And we cannot forget the Kafuka, or Kouka, pass over to Suzuka.  If the Afumi forces could push through to Suzuka, then they could march along the coastal plains of Mie up through Owari and come at Ohoama's forces from behind. In previous episodes we covered the leadup to this part of the conflict, and while there had been some fighting at the post stations on the road to Suzuka, as well as captured envoys at Fuwa Pass, so far we haven't seen any major fighting.  If the timeline in the Nihon Shoki is to be believed, the first serious clashes seem to have occurred in the Yamato region and the Nara basin. In general, however, there seems to have been two main campaigns.  There was the fighting in the Nara Basin, and then there was the fighting along the shores of Lake Biwa. Everything started off at the end of the 6th month with Ohoama's mad dash to capture the passes at Suzuka and Fuwa, where he waited while he gathered up men from the Eastern countries.  While that was happening, the Afumi court was out recruiting men for their own war.  This would lead to some of the earliest formal battles between the two sides taking place in the Nara Basin, originally a recruitment center, it turned into a battle zone.  Yoshino aligned forces would push north, only to be blocked by armies coming down from the capital at Ohotsu, as well as forces coming through the gap between Yamato and Kawachi, where the Yamato river leaves the basin through the western mountains.  The fighting happened largely over the course of a week or so.  It started around the 29th day of the 6th month, and seems to have ended between the 4th or 6th day of the 7th month.  So keep that in mind. As you may recall from last episode, two brothers, Ohotomo no Muraji no Makuda and Ohotomo no Muraji no Fukei, upon hearing that Ohoama was rising up, both feigned illness, using that as an excuse to leave the court at Ohotsu and return to their family compounds in the Yamato region.  From there, Makuda made haste to catch up with Ohoama and his men, but his brother, Fukei, stayed behind to see what he could do in Yamato. Originally, Fukei's success was limited.  He started calling various allied families together and tried to drum up support for Ohoama, but he could only gather a few tens of men.  Not the hundreds, let alone thousands, that would be needed.  At the same time, the Afumi court was conscripting men of the Yamato region into service.  This was being organized by Hodzumi no Obito no Momotari and his younger brother, Hodzumi no Obito no Ihoye, along with Mononobe no Obito no Hiuga, who had all been sent to Yamato on the orders of the Afumi court, apparently arriving shortly after Fukei.  This group set up their base of operations at the Wokamoto palace—it was, after all, the official government presence and they were the official government representatives —and they used the grounds west of Houkouji, aka Asukadera, as their assembly grounds. Ohotomo no Fukei knew that something would have to be done.  If those conscripted Yamato soldiers were formed into a proper army and sent out, it could cause a lot of trouble for Ohoama and his men.  And fortunately, Fukei had a man on the inside: apparent ally, Sakanouhe no Atahe no Kumage, the officer in charge of the Wokamoto Palace, working for Prince Takazaka who resided there.  And so Fukei had a plan—he would impersonate the Royal Prince Takechi, son of Ohoama, and pretend to lead a force of cavalry to attack the camp at Asukadera.  To strengthen the illusion, Fukei would come in from the north, which is where Prince Takechi and his men would presumably be coming from.  Now remember, Fukei only had tens of people that were actually on his side at this point, and the camp was presumably much larger.  If they didn't fall for his ruse, Fukei would be marching straight to his death. Fukei marshalled his troops at the house of Kudara, which is to say “Baekje”, and then left out of the south gate.  He then had an accomplice, Hada no Miyatsuko no Kuma, dressed in nothing but a loincloth, mount a horse and gallop as fast as he could towards the camp.  You can imagine the confusion in the camp as this wild, naked man gallops up to them in a panic and starts telling them that Prince Takechi and his men were on their way with a huge force. When the conscripted soldiers heard this, they panicked.  While the men were gathered, it seems that they hadn't yet been outfitted with weapons and armor, so the entire camp broke and fled.  And so Fukei was able to waltz in with his tens of men and take the camp at Asukadera, capturing Prince Takazaka and those sent from Ohotsu to levy troops.  Fukei's ally, Kumage, the man on the inside, helped with this, along with the soldiers under the command of him and the Aya no Atahe.  And so they were able to disperse the conscripted Yamato forces before they were even assembled.  However, it turned out that someone was missing.  Hodzumi no Omi no Momotari, who had been appointed leader of the operation, was not at Asukadera.  It turns out that he was over at the Woharida Palace, where he was reviewing the armory, taking out the weapons and armor for the troops that he thought were still over at Asukadera. And so Fukei continued the ruse: he sent a messenger to summon Momotari, claiming to be a summons from Prince Takechi himself. Momotari, hearing this, likely knew that he had lost, but he apparently maintained his dignity.  He didn't run away or rush to the camp.  Instead he approached on horseback in a leisurely fashion.  When he reached the encampment, now under Fukei's command, one of the soldiers shouted at Momotari to get off his horse, but Momotari, likely trying to keep what remained of his dignity, was slow in doing so.  The men around him didn't care one whit for his dignity, however.  They grabbed his collar and pulled him off of the horse, dragging him to the ground.  He was shot with an arrow and then a man drew his sword and struck him and killed him.  We aren't even told who did this deed, just how it was done. As for the others, Momonatari's brother, Hodzumi no Ihoye and Mononobe no Hiuga were bound, but eventually they were released amongst the troops, where they were no doubt watched carefully.  Princes Takazaka no Ou and Wakasa no Ou, the representatives of the Afumi court in Asuka, were made to follow behind the army.  With this victory under his belt, Ohotomo no Fukei sent messengers to Prince Ohoama, at the Fuwa pass, to let him know what had happened.  When the messengers finally reached Ohoama we are told that he was quite pleased with the result.  After all, it meant that his rearguard was that much more secure. We are told that these events took place on or about the 29th day of the 6th month, around the same time that Ohoama was overseeing the troops at Wazami, only a few days after he and the real Prince Takechi had made their way to that camp.  Things were evolving quickly.  Fukei's success drew others to his banner.  Miwa no Kimi no Takechimaro, Kamo no Kimi no Yemishi, and othes all joined Fukei's forces, “like an echo”.  With a now more sizeable force, it seems that Fukei believed he was ready to take the fight to the Afumi court.  He and his advisors drew up plans for invading Afumi, selecting men to be deputy commanders and military commanders, providing a hierarchy and some organization.  From there, a few days later, he began to march north from Asuka, towards Nara. Now Nara at this point was just a name for the northwest area of the basin—they probably didn't even think of it as the Nara basin back then.  But it was along the road that led north, through the mountains, and from there through Yamashiro and eventually on to Afumi.  As Fukei was headed north, however,  he received word that there was another force coming from the Kawachi in the west.  And so he split his forces.  Sakamoto no Omi no Takara and others were sent with some 300 troops to take a defensive position at Tatsuta.  Sami no Kimi no Sukunamaro was also sent with another several hundred men to Ohosaka… no, not that Ohosaka.  Afusaka in modern Kashiba, in western Nara Basin.  This area would have been a strategic defensive point for any troops taking the road from Kawachi, so if anyone got past Sakamoto no Takara, Sukunamaro and his troops would be waiting. The now General Fukei also sent Kamo no Yemishi with another several hundred men to guard the Iwate road, to defend that approach as well.  Now Sakamoto no Takara, who had been sent to engage the troops coming from Kawachi, reached the area of Hiraishi when he heard that Afumi forces were occupying the nearby castle of Takayasu mountain.  You may recall that Takayasu was one of the Korean style fortresses that had been built in anticipation of a possible invasion from the continent, and it had even been repaired a few times.  Now it was being used not against an outside enemy, but in an internal conflict. Takara and his men marched up the mountain, intending to attack the castle, and here we should probably give a better idea of just what this castle was like.  If you think of a modern Japanese castle the thing that likely stands out, no pun intended, is the Tenshukaku, or donjon; the multi-storied tower located somewhere inside the walls and moats of the castle proper.  This would be an ideal location to spy over the walls and see where the enemy were, as well as an area from which one could make a last ditch stand. The castles of the Asuka period were not like this.  They were built off of a continental model, and their defining feature was not the donjon—though they likely did have gate and guard towers set up so that one could see attacking forces.  No, the defining feature was really the walls.  Long, compacted-earth walls, possibly lined with stone, which snaked around the top of a mountain.  This castle style leveraged the natural contours of existing mountain tops to provide its defense.  It didn't hurt that they also provided clear views of what was happening on the plains below, and required attacking troops to march up a steep mountain climb and then attack uphill.  The tradeoff was that these weren't the kind of places that people would live, when most of the infrastructure of the state was in the fertile plains and surrounding areas.  So these castles had granaries to keep troops fed, and perhaps some basic buildings erected within the walls, but they were largely a practical design. You can still go see the Takayasu ruins, today, and you don't have to hike up the mountain as Takara and his men did.  Instead you can take a cable car up to the top, or even a regular car on the roads that drive up to the old castle site, though how much you can see I'm not sure.  There are also other castle ruins and even old kofun on the mountain, as its prominence has been recognized as important in many different centuries. There likely weren't a lot of troops manning the castle, certainly not enough that they felt they had much chance of defending it.  So when Takara and his men made it up to the top, they Afumi forces burned the granaries, so as to deny him any supplies, and then took off, discretion being the better part of valor.  Takara and his men spent the evening at the castle, no doubt recovering from their hike up.  Remember, this wasn't just a leisurely stroll—they were no doubt fully kitted out for war.  When they woke the next morning they looked out over the surrounding countryside, of which they now had fantastic views, and   Takara noticed a large army coming down along the Ohotsu-Tajihi road.  They carried flags, which I don't know how Takara could have seen at that point, which identified them as being the enemy - troops of the Afumi general, Iki no Fubito no Karakuni. And so Takara and his men descended from Takayasu, crossed the Ega River—now known as the Ishi river, and engaged Karakuni's army.  They were only 300 men, however, and Karakuni had a much larger forcem so  Takara was unable to maintain a defense.  And so they made a strategic withdrawal—in other words retreated—back to Kashikosaka, apparently a part of Afusaka, where Ki no Omi no Oho'oto had been set to guard.  So Ohotomo and the Afumi court finally scored a win. Besides his victory against Takara and his men, we are also told that Karakuni had come upon Kume no Omi no Shihoko, the governor of Kawachi.  Shihoko had been gathering troops to go fight for Ohoama, but he was found out by Karakuni.  Karakuni captured him and was going to execute him, but before he could, Shihoko took his own life, instead. As Takara was retreating and setting up a new defensive position, Fukei had his own problems to worry about.  As he was camped with his troops on Mt. Narayama, one of his men, Aradawo no Atahe no Akamaro, addressed him and suggested that they should make sure to fortify Asuka, just in case.  Fukei agreed, and sent Akamaro as well as Imbe no Kobito to guard the Okamoto Palace in Asuka.  They also made sure to remove the planks from any bridges, using them to setup fortifications along the road.  Now any army that wished to cross would either have to swim or they would need to come across the narrow beams that were all that was left of the bridges.  This was not ideal at the best of times, but you can imagine doing it as troops on the other side were shooting arrows at you.  And yet this has become a near classic trope in Japanese war stories and it won't be the only time it comes up in various historical contexts.  It wouldn't even be the only time it shows up in this current conflict. A day later, Fukei found himself engaged with an Afumi general, Ohono no Kimi no Hatayasu, on Mt. Narayama itself.  Despite Fukei having had time to set up a defensive position, the Afumi forces overwhelmed Fukei's men.  They were defeated and Fukei himself barely escaped with his life.  Fukei fled south with only one or two men, also on horseback, with Hatayasu hot on his heels, only stopping when they reached Hatta and the Yamato river.  At that point the fortifications were in place, and Hatayasu likely knew that any trying to cross the river after Fukei would likely not go nearly as well as it did at Narayama. As for General Fukei he kept going all the way until he reached Sumizaka, which appears to be in Uda.  There he fell in with Okizome no Muraji no Usagi, at the head of several tens of thousands of men.  Usagi had been with Ohoama , but upon hearing of the fighting in Yamato, Ohoama had sent him  and others to go back through the Suzuka pass to provide reinforcements.  One can only imagine how happy Fukei was at this point to see Usagi and all of thise men.  Fukei turned back around and encamped at Kanatsunawi—possibly modern Imai-cho, Kashihara city.  There he was able to gather many of the dispersed troops back into a force once again. About this time, Fukei heard that the Afumi forces were also approaching along the Afusaka road.  So now they were approaching from both the north and the west.  They were also taking several different roads—inside the largely flat area of the Nara Basin, they likely had several choices.  Takara and Oho-oto had been unable to meet the enemy and had kept retreating, likely seeking a defensible position.  As they did this, Fukei came from the east with his reinforcements.  He made it to where the roads branched at Tahema—modern Taima—where he fought with Iki no Karakuni nearby Ashi-kie pond, possibly somewhere near modern Chimata.  During the battle, one of Fukei's men, a brave warrior known to us only as “Kume”, drew his sword and rushed straight into the midst of the enemy army.  Of course one lone man wasn't likely to do much, but he inspired a cavalry charge, and men on horseback followed closely at his heels.  Seeing this force bearing quickly down on them, the Afumi troops broke, and soon it was a rout.  Fukei's men pursued, cutting down the Afumi soldiers as they fled, until Fukei finally reined them in. At this point, Fukei then admonished his troops that their goal was to take out the ringleaders, not to just indiscriminately murder the common people.  Remember, which side of the battlefield you ended up fighting on was largely a function of who had conscripted you, and Fukei evidently knew this.  As the men were still retreating, though, Fukei noticed that the Afumi general, Karakuni – one of those ringleaders - had gotten himself separated from his men.  Fukei ordered Kume—presumably the same one who had charged the army in the first place—to shoot at him, but Kume's arrow missed, and Karakuni made his escape.  Rather than pursuing, Fukei returned back to his headquarters. Once there, Fukei now learned that there were enemy forces approaching from the East, as well.  So Fukei took the army and divided it into three, defending the Upper, Middle, and Lower roads, and he took personal charge of the forces on the middle road, likely so that he could easily keep in touch with the other forces.  He was also waiting for the next challenge, and he didn't have to wait for long: the Afumi general Inukai no Muraji no Isogimi approached along the Middle Road.  He halted at Muraya, but his deputy commander, Ihoriwi no Miyatsuko no Kujira, attacked Fukei's camp with 200 specially picked soldiers.  Now it turns out that when they reached the camp, there were only a few people actually there at the time, including one Tokumaro, described as a slave of Ohowidera temple, and four “people following the army” – in other words, these might not have been actual soldiers.  .  Nevertheless, together this small group rallied, formed an advance guard and went forward, shooting arrows at Kujira's forces.  Kujira, not knowing that Fukei's camp was all but empty, halted his advance. Meanwhile, over on the Upper Road, Miwa no Takechimaro and Okizome no Usagi, who had been sent by Ohoama from Fuwa, fought with the Afumi army at the Hashi Misasagi—which is assumed to be the Hashihaka kofun, and they overwhelmingly defeated the Afumi army there, such that they was able to pivot from there and swing their forces over to the Middle road.  There they slammed into the flank of Kujira's army, who had stopped to trade blows with Fukei's camp.  Many of the common soldiers were killed, and the general, Kujira, ran off, mounted on a white horse.  Unfortunately for him, the horse took a misstep and tumbled into a muddy-rice field. Kujira was bogged down in the mud and having trouble getting out.  General Fukei, seeing this, sent a brave soldier of Kahi to shoot at Kujira, but as the soldier came up to the edge of the rice paddy, Kujira whipped his horse vigorously, and got it to extricate itself and Kujira, who galloped off and escaped.  Fukei, for his part, returned again to his headquarters and camped with his men there.  Though they were ready for another conflict, nothing ever came.  The Afumi forces had withdrawn.  The battle for the Nara basin was over, and the Yoshino forces were victorious. General Fukei, however, was anything but finished.  Remember, he had planned to take the fight to the Afumi court, and so, having subdued the enemy forces in Yamato—which is to say the Nara basin—Fukei marched out through Afusaka to Naniwa, and then marched on Yamazaki, where he set up camp.  From there, he sent messengers to all the governors of the Western Provinces.  He forced them to give up their keys, their posting-bells, and their posting tallies—basically he had them formally submit to the Yoshino faction, and thus to Ohoama. Meanwhile, Ohoama had his own campaign to conduct, and it kicked off in the middle of Fukei's defense of the Yamato Home Province.  He also would engage various generals in battle, but we'll save that campaign for Part Four. But before we go I do want to point out, once again: this wasn't a simple and straightforward matter of attack and defense.  Notice that generals on both sides sometimes were victorious and sometimes had to flee.  You can only imagine how, after the defeat at Narayama, General Fukei must have felt that all hope was lost, only to run into a force ten thousand strong come to relive him and his paltry troops.  But it could just as easily have been that he didn't make it.  In fact, how many warriors died?  Heroically, perhaps, but still died.  And if there were no descendants to carry on their name and remember their deeds, then who knows how many people just didn't get written about at all.  And then there are all of those common soldiers.  Individuals without any recorded name, but who nonetheless were there and who fought. They may not have been the people that later authors cared to write about, and yet they were all someone's child, and possibly their sibling or parent.  They loved and laughed, and certainly died.  All to determine who would sit next upon the Yamato throne.  One has to wonder if winning or losing really changed anything for them, or perhaps they won simply by surviving. And on that cheerful thought, I'll take my leave.  Until next time, thank you once again for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  

We cover TMNT (2003) Season 4 Episode 21-22

With Usagi Yojimbo: Ten Thousand Plums, Stan Sakai enters his forty-first year as the rabbit ronin's chronicler. Each decade represents about a year in the title character's life, which you can track if you're paying attention to the seasons surrounding Usagi's adventures. If you're paying even closer attention, you can map his footsteps across sixteenth-century Japan and anticipate his next conflict or reunion, but don't worry if you lack such concentration. As you'll hear in today's episode, Sakai certainly does not. Usagi Yojimbo Ten Thousand Plums begins with a fox spirit and her daughter struggling to survive. Sickness has taken the child, and the mother seeks help from a nearby village. They reject her despite having access to the Shogun's prized plum orchard and the healing umeboshi (pickled plums) it produces. By the time Usagi, his cousin Yukichi, and the bounty hunter Gen arrive, fury has rained down upon the town, creating a dangerous suspicion of outsiders. With Ten Thousand Plums, Stan Sakai continues to explore the themes of deceptive appearances, selflessness, and selfishness, which he thoroughly dug into with the previous Usagi Yojimbo storyline, The Crow. We chat with Sakai about this current preoccupation, how it challenges Usagi and Yukichi, and where it could lead the cousins. No major spoilers lie within our conversation, but Stan Sakai does tease a few things that will undoubtedly spark intense curiosity for longtime Usagi Yojimbo readers. The Sword of Narukami is in play. Could another famous sword re-appear, too? Following Ten Thousand Plums' first three issues, a new story entitled "Tabo" should prove to be Stan Sakai's most personal comic yet. It was written shortly after his younger brother Kenneth passed away, and Sakai kindly expands on what this tale means for him and his family. You'll hear how "Tabo" places Usagi and Yukichi on a pilgrimage in search of the miraculous goddess called "The Mother," forcing Usagi to confront his skepticism in ways he never has before. The first issue of Usagi Yojimbo Ten Thousand Plums is now available from Dark Horse Comics and Dogu Publishing. The second issue will arrive on April 16th, and we have an exclusive preview of its first five pages on the Comic Book Couples Counseling website. Make sure to keep up to date on all things Usagi Yojimbo by visiting Stan Sakai's website and Instagram. This week's episode is sponsored by 2000 AD, the greatest comic you're not reading! Within its pages is a whole universe of characters, from Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog to Rogue Trooper, Shakara, Halo Jones, and the poor sods slogging across the Cursed Earth in The Helltrekkers. Get a print subscription at your door every week - and the first issue is free! Or subscribe digitally, get free back issues, and download DRM-free copies of each issue for just $9 a month. That's 128 pages of incredible monthly comics for less than $10. We're also sponsored by the Beyond the Cape Podcast. If you enjoy Comic Book Couples Counseling, you'd undoubtedly enjoy their show. Beyond the Cape is a laid-back talk show in which every episode highlights their love of this beautiful comic book medium, their personal journey with it, and the respective artists they feature on each podcast. This June will mark their second anniversary, which we certainly recognize as a massive accomplishment. So, follow them on Instagram @BeyondTheCapePodcast and Spotify with The Uncensored Nerds Network. Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode: Stan Sakai on CBCC: Samurai Rabbit Stan Sakai and Julie Sakai on CBCC: Ice and Snow This Ink Runs Cold Kickstarter Support Your Local Comic Shop - Episode 2 - Now Or Never (San Diego, CA) Final Round of Plugs (PHEW): Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY. The Comic Book Couples Counseling TeePublic Merch Page. And, of course, follow Comic Book Couples Counseling on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Bluesky @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren. Send us your Words of Affirmation by leaving us a 5-star Review on Apple Podcasts. Continue your conversation with CBCC by hopping over to our website, where we have reviews, essays, and numerous interviews with comic book creators. Podcast logo by Jesse Lonergan and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.

Wow, it's been a minute, hasn't it? Well, as Usagi herself says, let's not worry about last year! The real important news is that we're back, baby, and so is that menacing Kunzite, who's turning Usagi into a full Jellicle monster! Can the power of subtext bring her out of her yoma coma? Find out as Chris and Betty watch Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Act 14 in our triumphant return to podcasting!

Sailor Noob is the podcast where a Sailor Moon superfan and a total noob go episode by episode through the original Sailor Moon series!The saga comes to a close this week as Usagi faces off against Galaxia for the fate of the galaxy! Can one girl stand alone against the legendary Sailor Senshi?In this episode, we discuss magical girls. We also talk about grating doppelgangers, spoilers ahoy, getting your bits out, Debbie Harry, rapier and diaper, Hug Assault, going for TV-MA, a Shin Godzilla level of damage, getting blipped, 185 dead car ladies, turning the "In the Manga..." tables, the Chibi Chibi secret sauce, Sex Switch, Sally the Witch = Thor, Late Night Anime, magical boys, and Shojo is third person!The sword was a little kid!Give the gift of a Sailor Noob Patreon subscription to your favorite noob!https://www.patreon.com/sailornoob/giftWe're on iTunes and your listening platform of choice! Please subscribe and give us a rating and a review! Arigato gozaimasu!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sailor-noob/id1486204787Leave us a comment on Spotify!Listen to our new podcast, Mona Lisa Overpod!https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mona-lisa-overpod--6195851Become a patron of the show and get access to our live-action PGSM, Animedification, Utena, Ghibli, and Evangelion podcasts!http://www.patreon.com/sailornoobPut Sailor Noob merch on your body!http://justenoughtrope.threadless.comSailor Noob is a part of the Just Enough Trope podcast network. Check out our other shows about your favorite pop culture topics and join our Discord!http://www.twitter.com/noob_sailorhttp://www.justenoughtrope.comhttp://www.instagram.com/noob_sailorhttps://discord.gg/7E6wUayqBuy us a coffee on Ko-Fi!https://ko-fi.com/justenoughtrope

Episode 957-ASM April Relaunch, Who is Kristoff Vernard? Rampaging Rivals, Usagi in Space,  Get up to 48% off Magic Mind w/codeCOMICS at https://magicmind.com/comicsfun + Sneak Peek Picks for Next Week w/Kyle & Drew ROBOT TOD #1 FLOATING WORLD COMICS Farel Dalrymple STAR WARS A NEW LEGACY #1(W) Charles Soule, Jason Aaron (A) Ramon Rosanas, Leonard Kirk (CA) Steve McNivenLike & Subscribe on Youtube www.youtube.com/@comicsforfunandprofit5331Patreon https://www.patreon.com/comicsfunprofit Merch https://comicsfunprofit.threadless.comYour Support Keeps Our Show Going On Our Way to a Thousand EpisodesDonate Here https://bit.ly/36s7YeLAll the C4FaP links you could ever need  https://beacons.ai/comicsfunprofit Listen To the Episode Here: https://comcsforfunandprofit.podomatic.com/ 

In the "Vampire Cat of the Geishu," Usagi's wanderings take him back to the Geishu Province and memories of the last time he was in the area. Usagi, Tomoe, and Gen were returning after the events in the "Dragon Bellow Conspiracy" (UY, Bk. 4) when they were invited to spend the night in the home of a noble woman. Too late, they find they were trapped by their hostess, a demon cursed to drink the blood of innocents. 

Sailor Noob is the podcast where a Sailor Moon superfan and a total noob go episode by episode through the original Sailor Moon series!Princess Kakyu has arrived and so has a new chapter in Sailor Moon Stars! The Sailor Senshi have discovered a potential new ally, but can they mobilize themselves before Usagi falls prey to Sailor Tin Nyanko?In this episode, we discuss the modern Japanese sports, specifically sumo, karate, and kendo. We also talk about crusades vs. holy wars, sexy angry carrots, The One True Ship, diaper pants, the invention of panties, a triple entender, explaining phones to zoomers, canonical women, shooting a winger, Kryptn, robot geniuses, Sailor Fuku Nyanko, the stair house thing, roulette theories, the evil star god, Sailor Galactus, power water, shikiri rishiki, Tang hand, double crying, and studying for a kendo exam!Good bye ding dong, hello Queen Kong!We're on iTunes and your listening platform of choice! Please subscribe and give us a rating and a review! Arigato gozaimasu!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sailor-noob/id1486204787Leave us a comment on Spotify!Listen to our new podcast, Mona Lisa Overpod!https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mona-lisa-overpod--6195851Become a patron of the show and get access to our live-action PGSM, Animedification, Utena, Ghibli, and Evangelion podcasts!http://www.patreon.com/sailornoobPut Sailor Noob merch on your body!http://justenoughtrope.threadless.comSailor Noob is a part of the Just Enough Trope podcast network. Check out our other shows about your favorite pop culture topics and join our Discord!http://www.twitter.com/noob_sailorhttp://www.justenoughtrope.comhttp://www.instagram.com/noob_sailorhttps://discord.gg/49bzqdpBpxBuy us a coffee on Ko-Fi!https://ko-fi.com/justenoughtrope

Hosted by Chris Mayek & Alex SummersMoon Star's first ever video version is available now!Watch On YouTubeUnited States: https://tinyurl.com/3w5b4xa2International: https://tinyurl.com/58ed25nn Today's episode features a clip of Tiffie Starchild. You can follow her on Instagram @tiffiestarchildIt's lovely timing this week, as Last Resort has some of the same cozy Autumn vibes some of you all might be feeling right. No matter what you're doing this week, spend some time with Chris & Alex as we cover one of Sailor Moon's more unique episodes - Last Resort. Have you ever been to a hot spring before? Title (English): Last ResortTitle (Japanese): The Legendary Lake Yokai: The Bond of Usagi's FamilyOriginal Air Date (NA): October 18th, 1995Original Air Date (Japan): January 16th, 1993Official Websitewww.MoonStarPod.comSponsored by Sailor Moon Videowww.SailorMoonVideo.comFollow us on Facebook!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/moon-star-a-sailor-moon-podcast--5540871/support.

The owl, in Japanese folklore, is a sign of evil and an omen of death. In "The Lord of Owls," Usagi crosses paths with a mysterious samurai with a lightning sword . . . and who can foresee one's death

*) Israel strike kills 10 people in designated Gaza ‘safe zone' In southern Gaza's Khan Younis, an Israeli air strike killed at least 10 Palestinians and left many others injured. The strike hit a rest area near tents where displaced families had gathered, thinking it was safe. This specific area, in the Al Mawasi neighbourhood, had actually been marked by the Israeli military as a “safe zone”. Many displaced families were using the “Happy Time” rest stop just outside the southern gate of the Asdaa Resort. According to witnesses, people frequently went there for a moment of respite and to access the internet — just trying to find some normalcy amid the war. *) Smotrich says 2025 is year Israel will impose ‘sovereignty' on West Bank Israel's Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has now said that by 2025, Israel will fully assert its sovereignty over the occupied West Bank, effectively ruling out any chance of a Palestinian state — a stance that defies international law, which considers the West Bank to be occupied Palestinian land. During a Religious Zionism Party meeting, Smotrich also congratulated Donald Trump on his recent US presidential win. For Smotrich, Trump's victory is an opportunity to move forward on Israeli interests. He recalled that in Trump's previous term, he took bold steps: moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital, affirming Israeli control over the Golan Heights, and legitimising settlements in the West Bank. *) Paris bans Palestinian flags at France-Israel football match French authorities have banned Palestinian flags at the upcoming France-Israel football match on Thursday, following unrest seen at a Netherlands match last week. Laurent Nunez, Paris's prefect, said that “only French and Israeli flags will be allowed, along with messages cheering on the teams”. Security will be tight at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, a suburb north of Paris. Fans can expect not one, but two security screenings and ID checks around the stadium. Anyone refusing to cooperate won't be allowed in. *) Türkiye's zero waste project will thrive through global cooperation: Altun Türkiye's Zero Waste Project, a leading environmental initiative, will only succeed through strong international partnerships, according to Fahrettin Altun, Türkiye's head of Communications. Speaking via video at the COP29 UN climate conference in Azerbaijan, Altun stressed that Türkiye's Zero Waste Project is a key example of the country's dedication to environmental leadership. He said that “Türkiye is at the forefront of climate diplomacy”. *) Philippines braces for fifth cyclone in under one month The Philippines is once again preparing for severe weather, with warnings issued for yet another storm — the fifth in under a month — now closing in on the islands. Tropical Storm Usagi is expected to hit the country's northeast coast in just two days, according to the National Weather Agency. This comes right after Typhoon Toraji forced thousands to evacuate. In fact, the government has already evacuated over 32,000 people in the north as a precaution. This has been a devastating stretch for the Philippines, which has been battered by a relentless sequence of storms: Severe Tropical Storm Trami, Typhoon Yinxing, Super Typhoon Kong-rey, and now Usagi — all of which have collectively claimed at least 159 lives.

Sailor Noob is the podcast where a Sailor Moon superfan and a total noob go episode by episode through the original Sailor Moon series!The wheel keeps turning this week as the Starlights' past is revealed! Can Seiya make Usagi understand his mission or will his day at the park turn into a night of violence?In this episode, we discuss the Japanese theme parks Hanayashiki, Sanrio Puroland, and Tokyo Disneyland. We also talk about conehead vibes, power swag, Miss Minutes slash fic, double j'ing, two out of three pants, Civil Soldier War, tough bits to commit to, kittymom face, Blonde Waldo, being hot and lonely, Sailor Yogurt, musical telepathy powers, coming around on Seiusa, "adult" vs. "womanly", being mauled by a sex bear, Tokyoites, zoo memorials, Sanrio Fool Land, clown outies, stickers, and doing an "Earth Girls Are Easy"!MEGALOPOLISWe're on iTunes and your listening platform of choice! Please subscribe and give us a rating and a review! Arigato gozaimasu!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sailor-noob/id1486204787Leave us a comment on Spotify!Listen to our new podcast, Mona Lisa Overpod!https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mona-lisa-overpod--6195851Become a patron of the show and get access to our live-action PGSM, Animedification, Utena, Ghibli, and Evangelion podcasts!http://www.patreon.com/sailornoobPut Sailor Noob merch on your body!http://justenoughtrope.threadless.comSailor Noob is a part of the Just Enough Trope podcast network. Check out our other shows about your favorite pop culture topics and join our Discord!http://www.twitter.com/noob_sailorhttp://www.justenoughtrope.comhttp://www.instagram.com/noob_sailorhttps://discord.gg/49bzqdpBpxBuy us a coffee on Ko-Fi!https://ko-fi.com/justenoughtrope

Sailor Noob is the podcast where a Sailor Moon superfan and a total noob go episode by episode through the original Sailor Moon series!This one goes out to all the lovers as Three Lights go on a request and dedication show! Usagi and Seiya are still reeling from last week's revelations, but can Seiya heal their relationship before the Animamates tear them apart?In this episode, we discuss radio stations and public radio in Japan. We also talk about starseeds, Shogun syndrome, magical queer best friends, defacto cat parents, space drag heroes, Sailor Disco Death Cat, Rule 63 Lou Bega, canine shibari, ro-cat launchers, Holland's juciy boot, musical telepathy, sailor friendzone, the concept of a siren, audio calisthenics, the magic of just sharing things, wanting natto, double black hair, CyberGreek, and autograph boards!It's the '90s!We're on iTunes and your listening platform of choice! Please subscribe and give us a rating and a review! Arigato gozaimasu!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sailor-noob/id1486204787Leave us a comment on Spotify!Listen to our new podcast, Mona Lisa Overpod!https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mona-lisa-overpod--6195851Become a patron of the show and get access to our live-action PGSM, Animedification, Utena, Ghibli, and Evangelion podcasts!http://www.patreon.com/sailornoobPut Sailor Noob merch on your body!http://justenoughtrope.threadless.comSailor Noob is a part of the Just Enough Trope podcast network. Check out our other shows about your favorite pop culture topics and join our Discord!http://www.twitter.com/noob_sailorhttp://www.justenoughtrope.comhttp://www.instagram.com/noob_sailorhttps://discord.gg/49bzqdpBpxBuy us a coffee on Ko-Fi!https://ko-fi.com/justenoughtrope

Sailor Noob is the podcast where a Sailor Moon superfan and a total noob go episode by episode through the original Sailor Moon series!Things take off this week as Usagi and the girls go on a moonlight flight with Three Lights! But when Sailor Aluminum Siren shows up to crash the party, everyone's deepest secrets will be revealed!In this episode, we discuss the history of aviation in Japan. We also talk about smelling secrets, zoo libraries, my own private Oahu, Viz cope, the Kilometer High Club, lust strength, mes yeux, Fetish Night at the Space Disco, Food Unicorn, Chekov's Plane, Good Morning Manchuko, mokusei, Name that Plane, triparite monsters, and finally AmiMako?Become a permanent thief at the storehouse!We're on iTunes and your listening platform of choice! Please subscribe and give us a rating and a review! Arigato gozaimasu!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sailor-noob/id1486204787Leave us a comment on Spotify!Listen to our new podcast, Mona Lisa Overpod!https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mona-lisa-overpod--6195851Become a patron of the show and get access to our live-action PGSM, Animedification, Utena, Ghibli, and Evangelion podcasts!http://www.patreon.com/sailornoobPut Sailor Noob merch on your body!http://justenoughtrope.threadless.comSailor Noob is a part of the Just Enough Trope podcast network. Check out our other shows about your favorite pop culture topics and join our Discord!http://www.twitter.com/noob_sailorhttp://www.justenoughtrope.comhttp://www.instagram.com/noob_sailorhttps://discord.gg/49bzqdpBpxBuy us a coffee on Ko-Fi!https://ko-fi.com/justenoughtrope

Sailor Noob is the podcast where a Sailor Moon superfan and a total noob go episode by episode through the original Sailor Moon series!The squad gets taken out to the ballgame this week as a rival student challenges Usagi and Seiya to softball! Can they find victory on the diamond before the Animamates bring their season to an end?In this episode, we discuss softball in Japan. We also talk about "calques", the old college try, playing with the boys, the Big Book of Hairdos, Lady Fartbutt, mostly guileless, Sailor Scrappiness, a Bad News Bears bet, "everyone", overneath, "new power, gentle wave", kittenball, peer pressuring yourself, softbras, and sailor silhouettes!RIP CPK!We're on iTunes and your listening platform of choice! Please subscribe and give us a rating and a review! Arigato gozaimasu!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sailor-noob/id1486204787Leave us a comment on Spotify!Listen to our new podcast, Mona Lisa Overpod!https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mona-lisa-overpod--6195851Become a patron of the show and get access to our live-action PGSM, Animedification, Utena, Ghibli, and Evangelion podcasts!http://www.patreon.com/sailornoobPut Sailor Noob merch on your body!http://justenoughtrope.threadless.comSailor Noob is a part of the Just Enough Trope podcast network. Check out our other shows about your favorite pop culture topics and join our Discord!http://www.twitter.com/noob_sailorhttp://www.justenoughtrope.comhttp://www.instagram.com/noob_sailorhttps://discord.gg/49bzqdpBpxBuy us a coffee on Ko-Fi!https://ko-fi.com/justenoughtrope

CultPop Presents a brand new episode of Fresh Floppies, where we (spoiler-free) discuss and review some of the comics out THIS WEEK, TODAY! Only the freshest of floppies, so listen on your way to the comic shop! 01:28 – Batman: The Long Halloween – The Last Halloween #1 07:54 – Last Week's Comics 08:46 –... The post Fresh Floppies 68 – Batman Last Halloween, Frankenstein, Missionary, Usagi, Turtles of Grayskull, Spier-Man, and more appeared first on CultPOP!.

Sailor Noob is the podcast where a Sailor Moon superfan and a total noob go episode by episode through the original Sailor Moon series!Things get noisy AND nosey this week as Usagi and the squad try to track down Chibi Chibi! Which is more mysterious: the existence of Usagi's second(?) daughter or the secret of the land of sweets she disappears to?In this episode, we discuss zaibatsus in Japan and the League of Blood incident. We also talk being a spoiler bloodhound, Pizza Festival, uvula wipes, Japan Girl Dolls, Witchfinder Barbie, saying zarei to seiza, living with Diddy, the corn snack field, press X to Chibi Chibi, robbing the Lost and Found, solid tears, Chuck Jones rules, the "loonification field", the Wilhelm Vase, Money Clique, trivia, and Stilt-Man!...rolling...We're on iTunes and your listening platform of choice! Please subscribe and give us a rating and a review! Arigato gozaimasu!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sailor-noob/id1486204787Leave us a comment on Spotify!Listen to our new podcast, Mona Lisa Overpod!https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mona-lisa-overpod--6195851Become a patron of the show and get access to our live-action PGSM, Animedification, Utena, Ghibli, and Evangelion podcasts!http://www.patreon.com/sailornoobPut Sailor Noob merch on your body!http://justenoughtrope.threadless.comSailor Noob is a part of the Just Enough Trope podcast network. Check out our other shows about your favorite pop culture topics and join our Discord!http://www.twitter.com/noob_sailorhttp://www.justenoughtrope.comhttp://www.instagram.com/noob_sailorhttps://discord.gg/49bzqdpBpxBuy us a coffee on Ko-Fi!https://ko-fi.com/justenoughtrope

The discovery of a mysterious VHS tape on the floor of a liquidating Toys R' Us marked the beginning of a cosmic journey into the dazzling universe of Sailor Moon for our esteemed guest, Rhett, of @rhettcollects. From then on, Usagi and the rest of the Sailor Scouts have provided him with comfort, inspiration, escapism and an impressive collection that reaches beyond the limits of our imaginations and solar system. Join the conversation as we discuss the origins of his collection, the science behind fanaticism, the expectations of blandness in adulthood and much more! You can find all of Rhett's socials, as well as his other links by clicking here. Watch the pre-show, Before Buychiatry ft. @rhettcollects, by clicking here.Send us a textFollow Buychiatry on Patreon, Youtube, Instagram & TikTok Click Here to see a list of Buychiatry prescribed medication!

Sailor Noob is the podcast where a Sailor Moon superfan and a total noob go episode by episode through the original Sailor Moon series!Monsters are dangerous but they've got nothing on teenage boys! When Usagi hosts an impromptu house party (and reality show episode), the Animamates arrive as deadly gatecrashers!In this episode, we discuss Japanese reality shows like Susunu, Denpa Shonen!, Terrace House, and The Boyfriend. We also talk about Jean-Claude Man Dame, wolf cops, Luna's Mom voice, "That's our Rei!", erotic baths, passionate cards, Emilypostichore, nuki ni kuji, the eggplant game, food-throwing age, Michael Keaton recipies, trivia, and building a beautiful bookcase!The eggplant is self-evident!We're on iTunes and your listening platform of choice! Please subscribe and give us a rating and a review! Arigato gozaimasu!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sailor-noob/id1486204787Leave us a comment on Spotify!Listen to our new podcast, Mona Lisa Overpod!https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mona-lisa-overpod--6195851Become a patron of the show and get access to our live-action PGSM, Animedification, Utena, Ghibli, and Evangelion podcasts!http://www.patreon.com/sailornoobPut Sailor Noob merch on your body!http://justenoughtrope.threadless.comSailor Noob is a part of the Just Enough Trope podcast network. Check out our other shows about your favorite pop culture topics and join our Discord!http://www.twitter.com/noob_sailorhttp://www.justenoughtrope.comhttp://www.instagram.com/noob_sailorhttps://discord.gg/49bzqdpBpxBuy us a coffee on Ko-Fi!https://ko-fi.com/justenoughtrope

Do you sometimes feel discouraged, as if you’re not good enough to accomplish the big things you’d like to? Mike’s been there. So have some of the heroes of the Bible, including Moses and Gideon. And…maybe Sailor Moon’s Usagi Tsukino, too? Well, she at least serves as an example of someone who does incredible things… Read More The Power of God and Anime Podcast, Episode 7: God Will Use You (Even if You’re Clumsy Like Usagi Tsukino)

[7.5✮]   Juandapo y Diego hablan sobre Sailor Moon Cosmos, obviamente nos cuentan cuál es su Sailor Scout favorita, pero sobre todo hablan de que aunque les gustó les dolieron muchas decisiones que se tomaron.  ·

Sailor Noob is the podcast where a Sailor Moon superfan and a total noob go episode by episode through the original Sailor Moon series!This week, Usagi and friends head to the mountains for a little R&R, but there's someone or something terrorizing campers! Can they solve the mystery of the Camp Ravager before their weekend is cut to ribbons?In this episode, we discuss the Japanese film industry. We also talk about being too hot to act, being an "ichi cousin, san removed", Dewey Cox's sinks, 2 Fast 2 Chibi, bawitdabyebye, having Jason problems, Primary Commanders, Super Nice!, abortive beach episodes, Hibagon, heels in the forest, the Zazie Beats of Japan, what Kal thinks the series end will be, Sunshine Samurai, movie B-sides, and Sailor Potter!RIP Gena, Alain, and Atsuko!We're on iTunes and your listening platform of choice! Please subscribe and give us a rating and a review! Arigato gozaimasu!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sailor-noob/id1486204787Leave us a comment on Spotify!Listen to our new podcast, Mona Lisa Overpod!https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mona-lisa-overpod--6195851Become a patron of the show and get access to our live-action PGSM, Animedification, Utena, Ghibli, and Evangelion podcasts!http://www.patreon.com/sailornoobPut Sailor Noob merch on your body!http://justenoughtrope.threadless.comSailor Noob is a part of the Just Enough Trope podcast network. Check out our other shows about your favorite pop culture topics and join our Discord!http://www.twitter.com/noob_sailorhttp://www.justenoughtrope.comhttp://www.instagram.com/noob_sailorhttps://discord.gg/49bzqdpBpxBuy us a coffee on Ko-Fi!https://ko-fi.com/justenoughtrope

Sailor Noob is the podcast where a Sailor Moon superfan and a total noob go episode by episode through the original Sailor Moon series!CW: violence, sexual assaultThings get complex this week as Usagi ends up on a date with Seiya! Is this the start of something special or will Sailor Iron Mouse end them both?In this episode, we discuss host and hostess clubs in Japan. We also talk about downslope speed, sad MakoMina shippers, adult moods, blowing the whistle on Seiya, "makeout territory", Bar Space Edge, Neo Bob Floy's, Eternity for Men or Women, firing the machine back up, the Sex Farce taketh away, unfun squicky vibes, huge Charlie Brown mouths, being the "Goofallant", cartoon drinks, let go and let Kami, and Horse wins!Would you choose Seiya or the bear?We're on iTunes and your listening platform of choice! Please subscribe and give us a rating and a review! Arigato gozaimasu!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sailor-noob/id1486204787LEave us a comment on Spotify!Listen to our new podcast, Mona Lisa Overpod!https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mona-lisa-overpod--6195851Become a patron of the show and get access to our live-action PGSM, Animedification, Utena, Ghibli, and Evangelion podcasts!http://www.patreon.com/sailornoobPut Sailor Noob merch on your body!http://justenoughtrope.threadless.comSailor Noob is a part of the Just Enough Trope podcast network. Check out our other shows about your favorite pop culture topics and join our Discord!http://www.twitter.com/noob_sailorhttp://www.justenoughtrope.comhttp://www.instagram.com/noob_sailorhttps://discord.gg/49bzqdpBpxBuy us a coffee on Ko-Fi!https://ko-fi.com/justenoughtrope

This month host Ed Moore journeys with listeners as Usagi’s trivails from Usagi Yojimbo v3 issue published by Dark Horse Comics February 2003 are discussed.

This month host Ed Moore journeys with listeners as Usagi's trivails from Usagi Yojimbo v3 issue published by Dark Horse Comics February 2003 are discussed.

Al and Aislinn talk about Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:03:00: What Have We Been Up To 00:12:27: News 00:25:07: Kamaeru 01:02:36: Outro Links Farlands Early Access Go-Go Town Roadmap Updates Garden Witch Life New Trail Len’s Island “Game Modes” Update Wind Story Contact Al on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheScotBot Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript (0:00:30) Al: Hello, farmers, and welcome to another episode of The Harvest Season. (0:00:35) Al: My name is Al. (0:00:36) Aislinn: my name is Aislinn. (0:00:38) Al: And we are here today to talk about frog games. (0:00:40) Aislinn: Woooo! (0:00:45) Al: Transcripts are available on the show notes and on the website, as always. (0:00:49) Al: Welcome, Aislinn. (0:00:50) Al: Welcome back, I should say. (0:00:52) Al: Your second time on the pod. (0:00:52) Aislinn: Yeah, thanks for having me back. (0:00:56) Al: Good to have you. (0:00:58) Al: I’ve brought Eslan on the pod to… (0:01:01) Al: …talk about Kamayru, is that how you say it? (0:01:04) Aislinn: Yeah, Kameiru! Gosh, I, uh, I’m gonna, I’m gonna withhold. I’m gonna withhold. I have many opinions about this game. (0:01:12) Al: Yeah, we’ll get to that. We’ll get to that. It’s important. We need to get through the (0:01:13) Aislinn: Yes, we know! (0:01:15) Aislinn: I know, I know, I know! (0:01:16) Al: process. So that’s what we’re going to talk about. I personally haven’t played Camaro, (0:01:18) Aislinn: Okay. (0:01:22) Al: but Aislinn has. So we’re going to talk about that later on. Before that, we obviously have (0:01:32) Al: some news. Oh, I should note, this is the last episode that has news for the next three (0:01:39) Al: episodes because this is the last one. (0:01:42) Al: And before I go away for a wee while. (0:01:45) Al: So the next three episodes won’t have news. (0:01:48) Al: They will be our special. (0:01:49) Al: Do I announce? Yeah, let’s announce it now. (0:01:51) Al: The next week we will be starting off Dave the Diver month. (0:01:56) Al: So that is a full month focusing on Dave the Diver. (0:02:00) Al: So I’m very excited for people to hear what we’ve got cooked up. (0:02:05) Al: I hope I’m not overdoing it and we’re not completely. (0:02:09) Al: over focusing on a game. (0:02:12) Al: When I had this idea, I thought it was fantastic, so stay tuned for four episodes of Dave the (0:02:17) Al: Diver starting next week. (0:02:18) Aislinn: Honestly, that sounds wonderful. (0:02:21) Aislinn: It sounds perfect. (0:02:22) Al: Have you played that game? (0:02:22) Aislinn: It sounds… (0:02:23) Aislinn: I have not, but also it just sounds wonderful to have something like that just for holiday (0:02:27) Aislinn: in general and just have something focused on one game. (0:02:31) Aislinn: It sounds nice. (0:02:32) Aislinn: It sounds like a nice change of pace. (0:02:32) Al: Yeah, last year we did Fishing Month, so we had four episodes on fishing and various different (0:02:34) Aislinn: Oooooooh! (0:02:40) Al: things. There was a debate on the best fishing minigame, though I think we covered Dredge, (0:02:46) Al: which is not our usual kind of game, and stuff like that. And yeah, this year is Dave the (0:02:52) Al: Diver Month, so coming soon. But that’s not what we’re talking about just now. Before (0:02:55) Aislinn: Soon. (0:03:01) Al: we get into the news and (0:03:02) Al: the news. (0:03:04) Aislinn: um melting because it’s just really it’s genuinely I feel like it’s been an endless just heat wave (0:03:13) Aislinn: here in new york um it’s just so hot all the time my cat is melting i’m melting everything (0:03:21) Aislinn: is melting it’s just hot 90 degrees what is that in celsius I don’t know it’s 90 degrees fahrenheit (0:03:28) Aislinn: and it’s humid and it’s just hot that’s yeah it’s hot (0:03:30) Al: That is 32. (0:03:34) Al: Yeah, yeah. (0:03:35) Aislinn: Sun blazing just melting but otherwise (0:03:39) Aislinn: To talk about gaming wise what I’ve been up to not as much as I would like to (0:03:45) Aislinn: Be up to with gaming just because life has been busy as well in general between work and just other (0:03:52) Aislinn: Obligations in life in general, but when I am playing a game I have been now currently cycling through (0:04:00) Aislinn: Magical delicacy, which just which just came out recently (0:04:04) Aislinn: is a (0:04:06) Aislinn: platformer game with witches and cooking and (0:04:10) Aislinn: Actually, it might be a nice game to talk about on this podcast as well at some point (0:04:15) Aislinn: Because it’s also an accessibility game. So it’s like kind of it’s not necessary (0:04:19) Aislinn: I don’t know if I would consider it a cottagecore game, but there is cooking there is decorating (0:04:23) Aislinn: they (0:04:24) Al: Look, we sure are in all kinds of games. (0:04:29) Aislinn: But it like just came out and I play like a couple hours of it so far and it’s really cute (0:04:35) Aislinn: But I’ve been playing a little bit of that I’ve been playing spider-man 2 which is a completely different game for magical delicacy (0:04:41) Aislinn: I’ve been playing oh so good so far so good so far. I’ve also been playing (0:04:42) Al: a good game though. Good game. I love how they did because like, did you play the other (0:04:49) Aislinn: I did I did I’m so I’m playing the entire series all the way through back to back to back (0:04:49) Al: two Spider-Man games? Nice. That’s a lot to go through without a break. I played them (0:04:56) Aislinn: It is but I’m having such a good time (0:04:59) Aislinn: You (0:05:00) Al: when they came out. So I played the Marvel Spider-Man and I really enjoyed it. It was (0:05:05) Al: so much fun. And then when Miles Morales came out, I was like, this is so great. (0:05:12) Al: It’s better because you have the extra powers. And personally, I thought it was like a more (0:05:17) Al: compact game. People were like, “Oh, it’s too short.” And I’m like, “No, it’s not (0:05:18) Aislinn: Yeah (0:05:20) Al: too short. It’s perfect. Perfect length.” I mean, buy these things and sell them second (0:05:21) Aislinn: Yeah, no, it was perfect it was honestly perfect (0:05:23) Aislinn: Maybe it’s a little bit short for its price (0:05:26) Aislinn: But like as someone that didn’t pay for it and had no frame of concept of what it costs. I had a great time (0:05:32) Aislinn: time. (0:05:33) Al: hand, right? That’s what I do. I did that for all three Spider-Man games. I’ve bought (0:05:38) Al: them and then sold them like three weeks later when I finished. (0:05:42) Al: But what I found really interesting was I was wondering how they were going to make (0:05:46) Aislinn: Yeah, that’s true. That’s very true. (0:05:51) Al: Spider-Man 2 not just make you want to be Miles all the time, because Miles was, before (0:05:56) Aislinn: Mm-hmm. (0:05:58) Al: Spider-Man 2 objectively, the better Spider-Man to play as, because he has all of the powers (0:06:01) Aislinn: Oh my god, yes. (0:06:03) Al: and more. (0:06:04) Al: And so I was like, “How are they going to make you want to be Peter Parker?” (0:06:08) Al: And they figured it out with the Venom stuff. (0:06:10) Aislinn: Woo, yeah, it’s so cool. It’s so cool. (0:06:10) Al: And it was fantastic. (0:06:12) Al: So good. (0:06:14) Al: And also adding in the other, the gliding, and you can also surf on the water a little (0:06:20) Aislinn: Yeah! (0:06:25) Aislinn: Mm-hmm. (0:06:25) Al: bit as well, stuff like that just made it so much more fun. (0:06:28) Aislinn: Yeah, definitely. The only complaint I have about that game so far is, like, on the map itself, (0:06:33) Aislinn: I wish, like, things were marked down. Like, all of the side quests and everything. I wish you (0:06:37) Aislinn: didn’t have– I know they want you to explore everything, but I’m like, “Can you just mark it (0:06:40) Aislinn: down anyway so I have things to go towards?” Because that’s the thing that kind of gets me (0:06:42) Al: Oh do you mean like how they build it up slowly because it’s like it starts off with like oh (0:06:44) Aislinn: from an open world game sometimes as I get lost? (0:06:47) Aislinn: Yeah. (0:06:49) Al: you’ve you’ve got I get why they do that right because it’s a lot it would be overwhelming I (0:06:53) Al: think if you had too much all at once but yeah it does feel it does it does feel a little bit like (0:06:54) Aislinn: I don’t mind, but yeah, that’s just me. (0:06:59) Al: oh and now you know I’m 10 hours into the game and I’m just unlocking a whole new series of of (0:07:06) Al: quests sort of thing. There. (0:07:06) Aislinn: yeah yeah yeah yeah that that’s my like only complaint but that’s just a me thing more than (0:07:10) Aislinn: anything yeah um but yeah otherwise in addition to spider-man 2 magical delicacy also surprisingly (0:07:12) Al: I think that’s hard to solve but I get I get I get the issue. (0:07:22) Aislinn: playing weathering waves um which is that gacha game but I haven’t spent any money so far which (0:07:28) Aislinn: i’m very proud of myself because I know it’s like the game that you spend money on but i’m such a (0:07:33) Aislinn: slow gamer that it’s been great. (0:07:36) Aislinn: This isn’t another casual combat game which I’m into, but then I’ve also obviously been (0:07:42) Aislinn: playing Kamehiru and I’ve been replaying coffee talk as well as just a nice wind down game. (0:07:49) Aislinn: It makes me very sleepy, which is perfect before bed. (0:07:52) Al: I feel like you have a very specific look of games that you’re other than Spider-Man (0:07:57) Al: two very specific look of games that you’re playing just now like well just when you look (0:08:00) Aislinn: - In what way? (0:08:03) Al: at magical delicacy and Kama Eru and coffee talk and even a lot of not not not so much (0:08:10) Al: whether it’s I guess it’s just those three like just their their style their art styles (0:08:15) Aislinn: Mm hmm. Yeah, I would definitely agree. I’m very I am. I didn’t think I was for like the (0:08:15) Al: and their their vibes all feel very similar. (0:08:24) Aislinn: longest time. And then within the past like year, I’ve definitely realized that aesthetically and (0:08:30) Aislinn: vibe wise, I am very picky about my games in that sense. And all three of those games fit that good (0:08:37) Aislinn: soundtrack and nice aesthetic. Like if a game doesn’t look good, I realized that I’m not like (0:08:45) Aislinn: a huge fan. Like personally, even though I know, and this is this is hot water that I’m treading (0:08:49) Aislinn: into, but I know a lot of people love Baldur’s Gate. I don’t think I’m ever going to play Baldur’s (0:08:54) Aislinn: Gate because I don’t like how it looks. It’s not my my favorite aesthetic. So hot take, but I (0:09:01) Aislinn: unfortunately am a sucker for aesthetics. Yeah. Yeah. (0:09:04) Al: I think anybody who says they don’t care how their games look is lying to you. It’s just (0:09:10) Al: that people have different preferences, right? Because I care how my games look, right? There (0:09:16) Al: are games that I’ve seen come out that have been like, you know, PS3 style graphics, like (0:09:21) Al: they’re trying to recreate that vibe. And I don’t like how they look, you know? But (0:09:27) Al: equally the, you know, the more 3D Pokemon games have generally people have generally (0:09:34) Al: not liked the look of, and I’ve quite liked them. I mean, it’s not like Scarlet and Violet (0:09:34) Aislinn: Mm-hmm. (0:09:38) Al: is the most good looking game, but I’m just not bothered by it. And specifically, I really (0:09:39) Aislinn: Yeah. Mm-hmm. (0:09:43) Al: like how Pokemon Legends look. I actively like how that game looks, even though some (0:09:45) Aislinn: Yeah, me too. (0:09:47) Al: people really dislike it. So yeah, I think it’s a lie to say you don’t care how games (0:09:48) Aislinn: Mm-hmm. (0:09:52) Al: look, but it’s a way that people describe the fact that we have different preferences. (0:09:58) Al: And so people will be like, “Oh, oh, I just, I don’t care about graphics.” And it’s like, (0:10:01) Al: You do, it’s just what your preference is. (0:10:04) Al: are different from other people. So when you see a game that you like and other people (0:10:08) Al: call it bad, you’re like, “Oh, clearly that means I don’t care about graphics.” It’s like, (0:10:11) Al: “No, you just like what other people don’t and that’s fine.” You couldn’t agree more. (0:10:13) Aislinn: Yeah, I agree, I 1000% agree. (0:10:19) Aislinn: I could not agree, I couldn’t, I could agree more, I don’t know what the phrase is, but I think you know what I mean. (0:10:24) Aislinn: I couldn’t agree more, thank you. (0:10:26) Al: Yes. Cool. Well, I haven’t been playing… (0:10:27) Aislinn: English is hard. (0:10:34) Al: I haven’t been playing a lot because I’ve spent most of my time podcasting because I’ve (0:10:37) Aislinn: It’s been sporadic, though. (0:10:45) Al: been recording six episodes in two and a half weeks to get ready to go away. Obviously, (0:10:48) Aislinn: Oh my god. (0:10:50) Aislinn: Mm-hmm. (0:10:52) Aislinn: Mm-hmm. (0:10:52) Al: I finished up Dave the Diver for the Dave the Diver episodes. I’ve managed to finish (0:10:56) Al: that story, so tune in next week to find out my first thoughts on Dave the Diver. (0:11:04) Al: I have picked up for a very short period of time so far. I haven’t played much of it, (0:11:08) Al: but I’ve just picked up Chicken Journey, which is a 2D chicken platforming RPG. (0:11:15) Aislinn: actually I think this is on my wish list it looks so cute (0:11:20) Al: Yeah, I was on sale in the… was it the summer sale? I don’t know, I lose track. Whatever (0:11:26) Aislinn: probably (0:11:27) Al: the most recent sale was on Steam, and it’s been on my list for a while, and I saw that (0:11:33) Al: it’s about 10 hours to complete, so I was like, “That feels like a good… Yeah, let’s (0:11:37) Al: go for that then.” So that will probably be my holiday game. About half an hour. Really (0:11:39) Aislinn: nice very nice how much of it how much I was gonna say how much of it have you played thus far (0:11:47) Aislinn: okay all right so not much of a first first look got it (0:11:51) Al: but I’ve played enough to know that I don’t dislike the controls, which is always a good start. (0:11:55) Aislinn: that’s a huge plus honestly (0:11:57) Al: And the game looks like what you expect based on the materials, so I’m not seeing any false (0:12:03) Al: advertising. So we’ll see how the platforming challenges are and what the story is. And yeah. (0:12:12) Aislinn: Yeah, I’m looking forward to hearing more about it from you definitely, because it is, (0:12:16) Aislinn: I did confirm it is on my wish list, so to get your take would be fantastic. (0:12:21) Al: will mention it at some point, I’m sure. Well, that’s what we’ve been playing. (0:12:23) Aislinn: Awesome. (0:12:28) Al: We’re going to talk about some game news. There’s not a lot, and mainly that’s because we’re (0:12:33) Al: recording quite early. So if something happens in the last week when this comes out, that’s because (0:12:41) Al: we didn’t mention it because we’ve already recorded SAWs. So the first news is that Far Lands have (0:12:49) Al: have announced their early access is coming. (0:12:51) Al: on the 24th of July for people who don’t remember, because I talk about too many games. (0:13:01) Al: This is a 2D pixel art farming game in space. (0:13:09) Al: Yeah, I don’t think there’s a huge amount to say, they’ve announced their early access. (0:13:16) Aislinn: Yeah, yeah, I mean, I you know my take on pretty much all the game news is that I have never seen this game before (0:13:24) Aislinn: But it looks I did I actually copied and pasted it (0:13:24) Al: » Island literally wrote that next to every single news. (0:13:27) Al: I’ve first time seeing this game. (0:13:29) Aislinn: And literally copied and pasted it. I was like, oh I haven’t seen any of these games (0:13:35) Aislinn: It looks like us. It looks like a space a space star do (0:13:38) Al: pretty much. Yeah, I don’t, it’s not like I think this game looks bad. There’s nothing (0:13:39) Aislinn: Okay (0:13:45) Al: about it that excites me in particular, but, you know, different people, etc. So if you (0:13:52) Aislinn: Yeah, it fills that niche. (0:13:54) Al: want to space stardew, this is one of the many options coming out in the next few months. (0:13:59) Aislinn: And you know my take about another farming sim in my life, I don’t have time! (0:14:06) Aislinn: But I appreciate it for what it is. (0:14:07) Aislinn: I do appreciate it for what it is, and if that was filling the niche for me, I would (0:14:11) Aislinn: be stoked about it. (0:14:12) Al: Yeah, yeah, fair enough. (0:14:15) Al: GoGo Town have released more information about their roadmap, so listeners will know what (0:14:23) Al: this game is because we covered it a couple weeks ago. (0:14:27) Al: I played it. (0:14:28) Al: It’s an early access. (0:14:30) Al: My summary, Aislinn, because you won’t have listened to that episode, is it’s an early (0:14:34) Al: access but not one of the buggy early accesses. (0:14:38) Al: One of the early accesses that just feels like it’s missing a lot of content. (0:14:42) Al: I think this will be really good to play once it’s once it’s further down the line. (0:14:47) Al: But I feel like after kind of six or seven hours, was it 10, 10 hours, something like that, (0:14:53) Al: I played of it. (0:14:54) Aislinn: I mean, considering six or seven hours and you feel that way already, that’s pretty good, (0:14:54) Al: I feel like I’ve gotten everything I can out of it just now, but I have very much (0:15:04) Aislinn: but that’s unfortunate. (0:15:05) Aislinn: It’s like the early access is lack of content, but I much, much, much rather that than it (0:15:10) Aislinn: being a buggy game for sure. (0:15:12) Al: Yeah, that’s always been my feeling because there’s a few others that have played in that (0:15:16) Al: similar vein like Ooblets and Coral Island. They were both similar where the game did (0:15:22) Al: not feel buggy at all. It just felt unfinished and there was a lot of missing content. All (0:15:29) Al: of them I’ve come back to at 1.0 and had a great time again. I never feel bad about them, (0:15:35) Al: because I go into them knowing they’re early access. I’d say, “Well, yeah, I would much (0:15:38) Al: rather that, then here’s a game where everything exists, but it’s gonna crash. (0:15:42) Al: Every five minutes. You know. (0:15:42) Aislinn: Yeah, no, I much rather that. (0:15:47) Aislinn: I agree. (0:15:48) Aislinn: I wholeheartedly agree. (0:15:50) Aislinn: But yeah, this is the go-go town game for what I, again, first time seeing the game. (0:15:55) Aislinn: So all I know is what I’ve seen on the Steam page store for the most part, but it does (0:16:00) Aislinn: look like a whole bunch of fun. (0:16:02) Aislinn: So when it is fully fleshed out, it looks like there’s a lot of things that like a lot (0:16:06) Aislinn: of time that you could sink into the game. (0:16:08) Al: Yeah, yeah, definitely. And you can write a unicorn tricycle. So, yeah, that’s the important thing. (0:16:12) Aislinn: You can high five a cow. (0:16:14) Aislinn: [LAUGH] I saw that and I was like, whoa, I was like ready. (0:16:20) Aislinn: I was ready, I was those hype. (0:16:21) Aislinn: [LAUGH] It’s so cute. (0:16:22) Al: Yeah, so they’ve updated their roadmap a little bit. There’s an update coming out pretty much (0:16:32) Al: just when this comes out with some more updates to their worker AIs. A lot of this game, Aislinn, (0:16:38) Al: is about kind of getting people to your town and telling them to, like you give them jobs to do. (0:16:44) Aislinn: Mm-hmm. (0:16:44) Al: And so they do the things that you were doing, they automate them and stuff like that. So (0:16:48) Aislinn: Mm-hmm. (0:16:48) Al: there’s obviously some bugs within that because that’s a very complicated thing to do. (0:16:52) Al: So they’ve got a bunch of updates coming for fixing of that. And then they’ve announced that (0:16:59) Al: their first major update is going to come mid-August. And that includes, it’s mostly (0:17:02) Aislinn: Nice. Soon. (0:17:06) Al: kind of like quality of life improvements. And they had said, I think they’re going to expand (0:17:10) Al: the map and stuff like that, which was kind of one of the biggest things that I had noticed about (0:17:13) Al: the game was it felt quite small, experience wise, which is good that they’re focusing on. (0:17:22) Al: What people are feeling are the things they would like to improve quickest. (0:17:28) Aislinn: And that’s the beauty of more indie games in general, is like you’re able to have that (0:17:32) Aislinn: community and have that communication, which is very nice, very refreshing. (0:17:38) Al: Garden Witch Life have released a new trailer. I feel like the name tells you everything (0:17:45) Al: about what this game is, right? Garden Witch Life. It’s a life sim where you’re a witch (0:17:47) Aislinn: Yeah, I would agree. (0:17:52) Al: and you’re farming. Yeah. So yeah, they’ve released a new trailer with some kind of hints (0:17:56) Aislinn: Yeah, yeah, yep, that’s that’s what I took away from looking at the game as well (0:18:01) Aislinn: And that little little guy (0:18:04) Al: towards the story and (0:18:08) Al: yeah I i they’ve not got a release date yet but they are still saying that it’s releasing this (0:18:12) Al: year so if they’re saying that in july i’m feeling reasonably confident a bit (0:18:18) Aislinn: Yeah, well, well, I guess, yeah, I think I, I, I would agree. (0:18:21) Aislinn: I would agree. (0:18:22) Aislinn: I wish, I wish I could, I realized now that I was so excited about that little (0:18:26) Aislinn: guy, but this is an audio only podcast. (0:18:29) Aislinn: So that doesn’t make any sense, but just know that there is on specifically the (0:18:31) Al: There’s a little guy. (0:18:34) Aislinn: steam page, if you go to the steam page and you go to the decorate section on (0:18:39) Aislinn: that little bed, there’s a little guy right there. (0:18:41) Aislinn: That’s very cute. (0:18:43) Aislinn: I mean, there’s a bunch of little guys, but there’s specifically a little guy (0:18:43) Al: just a little guy. Yeah, he is. He’s a little guy. And he’s following the theme of frogs (0:18:46) Aislinn: And he’s real (0:18:48) Aislinn: Good (0:18:51) Aislinn: He’s a little guy (0:18:55) Aislinn: He is (0:18:56) Al: this episode. So low frog guy. (0:18:58) Aislinn: That’s my take on garden witch life 10 out of 10 cuz a little guy (0:19:01) Aislinn: Bye. (laughs) (0:19:06) Al: We also have a small update about Lens Island, so I think we talked about the Game Modes (0:19:11) Al: update last week. That is now out, and they’ve released the entire patch notes. I don’t think (0:19:18) Al: there was anything big that I saw in there that we hadn’t already talked about. Basically, (0:19:24) Al: Aislinn, this update is about adding new game modes, and changes in difficulty, but not (0:19:30) Al: just our easy, hard, medium sort of thing, but they’ve got… (0:19:36) Al: So many different options. You can turn on Permadeath, or turn it off. You can change (0:19:43) Al: what happens to your bag when you die, whether it stays with you, whether it drops, or whether (0:19:47) Al: it’s destroyed. They’ve got 30 or 40 different updates in different settings for the difficulty, (0:19:58) Aislinn: Whoo, that’s nice. That’s awesome. It’s a game. That’s also I think on my wish list (0:20:02) Aislinn: But I just have not gotten around to playing it (0:20:04) Aislinn: But good to know that there’s going to be even more options one and if I am able to get around to it (0:20:09) Al: Yeah, I mean, I’m not going to encourage you to play it right now because their 1.0 comes (0:20:13) Al: out in like two months. So, very soon. I’m worse than you. It’s not on my wish list. (0:20:17) Aislinn: We’ll revisit in two months then. [laughs] (0:20:23) Al: I own the game and I haven’t played it yet. That’s not quite true. Well, part of the problem (0:20:25) Aislinn: Awwwwww! [laughs] (0:20:30) Al: is that I might have a problem in kick-starting games, and this was one of the ones I kick-started, (0:20:37) Al: So obviously I got the code for then. (0:20:39) Al: I have opened the game, but I opened the game on my Steam deck and I went to play it and realized they didn’t have controller support when the first version came out and I went, “I’m not going to do this just now then.” (0:20:41) Aislinn: Okay. (0:20:47) Aislinn: Awwww… (0:20:50) Aislinn: Awwww… (0:20:51) Al: It has now been, I think it has now, I think been two years since the added controller support, but I’ve still not played it yet. (0:20:56) Aislinn: Okay. (0:20:57) Aislinn: When- you know when you get to it is when you get to it. laughs (0:21:01) Al: Exactly, exactly. So at this point, I’m waiting for 1.0 and then I’ll be all in. (0:21:06) Aislinn: Two months, two months. (0:21:09) Al: Well, I’m in a way for the next month anyway, so. (0:21:12) Aislinn: Mm-hmm. It’s true. laughs (0:21:15) Al: July has been a very busy with games. (0:21:19) Al: There were so many games that released in July, it was a little bit stressful. (0:21:24) Al: Gogotown being one of them. Thanks, guys. (0:21:30) Al: That’s the game news. (0:21:31) Al: We also have a new game, Wind Story. (0:21:36) Al: So this I’ll just as I always do read a little blurb about this. (0:21:39) Al: So I mean, it’s a like a life farming life, right? (0:21:59) Al: I’m just going to do it. (0:22:00) Aislinn: Again, I don’t have time, but the game looks really nice. (0:22:05) Aislinn: I really like the colors and I am a sucker for the Octopath art style. (0:22:10) Al: Yeah, so was it 2DHD? Is that what they’re calling it? Where it’s like your kind of pixel art, (0:22:10) Aislinn: Art style-esque thing. (0:22:12) Aislinn: Uhhh, good question. (0:22:16) Aislinn: I, I, I, you know, even though I said I like the art style because it’s Octopath, I’ve (0:22:16) Al: I think that’s what they call it? Let’s see, or is that like a trademark or something? (0:22:25) Aislinn: never played Octopath in my life, but I’ve seen friends play Octopath and I appreciate (0:22:30) Aislinn: the art style, but I don’t know anything about the game. (0:22:31) Al: You can like how something looks. Yeah so Wikipedia says it’s an HD 2D not 2D HD. Sorry, (0:22:39) Aislinn: Ah, okay. (0:22:40) Al: HD 2D. So yeah I have mixed feelings about that style of game. Like I know it’s trying to do the… (0:22:40) Aislinn: HG2D, okay. (0:22:51) Al: it’s trying to be like kind of 2D RPGs where in the past but try and make them more modern. (0:23:01) Al: If you’re trying to do that style of game you either do this or you do just standard 2D pixel art. (0:23:10) Al: There’s something about the characters on the background they never quite fit properly and I (0:23:17) Al: just I’m not a huge fan of any of this style of graphics. I think that’s a me thing. I just feel (0:23:24) Al: like they stand out badly against the background. (0:23:28) Aislinn: I mean, yeah, I’ve it’s I feel like the octopath art style. I feel like it’s very divisive. It’s either you like it or you don’t (0:23:35) Aislinn: Like I’ve definitely heard your take of just not being super stoked about it (0:23:40) Aislinn: But I’ve also heard people that will die on a hill and say it’s amazing. So (0:23:45) Aislinn: Again, like you were saying in the beginning the aesthetics it’s a preference (0:23:48) Al: Yeah. It’s not even just like that, because I’m trying to figure out whether it’s because, (0:23:53) Al: obviously, the character models are like flat, kind of like Paper Mario, but the reason that (0:23:58) Aislinn: Mm-hmm. (0:23:59) Al: I prefer how Paper Mario looks is because like everything looks like that, whereas this is just (0:24:04) Al: the character on an otherwise high-definition 3D world. And it just, there’s something about that (0:24:12) Al: that just doesn’t, what’s the opposite of tickling your brain? It like, stabbing my brain. I don’t (0:24:15) Aislinn: I feel like that’s so aggressive smoosh smooshing. I don’t know. I’m not sure (0:24:19) Al: brain does not like it. Smooshing my brain. That sounds worse. (0:24:26) Aislinn: That does sound worse, I don’t know (0:24:31) Al: Yeah. I don’t know. I, yeah. Some people will love how this looks, and that’s good. (0:24:36) Aislinn: Fair no (0:24:39) Al: But this game is coming soon, and that blurb that I gave you is most of what we know. There’s some (0:24:46) Al: more kind of description. (0:24:48) Al: And there’s a bunch of screenshots if you want to look on the Steam page, (0:24:51) Al: but there’s not a huge amount more and, yeah. (0:24:56) Aislinn: Yeah, I’ve got nothing else to add with that. (0:24:59) Aislinn: I think it looks okay, you think it looks eh? (0:25:02) Aislinn: And that’s just, that’s just how it’d be. (0:25:06) Al: That is how it would be. (0:25:07) Al: However, a game that we both think looks great. (0:25:10) Aislinn: Mm-hmm. (0:25:11) Al: However, I haven’t played it yet is Kamayru. (0:25:13) Aislinn: Mm-hmm. (0:25:15) Al: We are going to talk about Kamaeru, a frog refuge. (0:25:18) Al: From someone who hasn’t played this, I guess I would describe this as looking like Usagi (0:25:24) Al: Shima, but frogs. (0:25:26) Al: Would you say that’s a fair description? (0:25:28) Aislinn: I have to look up what you just said. (0:25:29) Al: Oh, you’ve not played Usagi Shima? (0:25:32) Aislinn: No. (0:25:32) Al: Oh, no! (0:25:33) Aislinn: Oh, yeah. (0:25:33) Al: Where have you been? (0:25:34) Aislinn: No, I do know this. (0:25:35) Aislinn: I do notice. (0:25:36) Aislinn: Yeah. (0:25:37) Aislinn: It’s it is. (0:25:38) Al: Bunny game. (0:25:38) Aislinn: It is. (0:25:39) Aislinn: Yep. (0:25:40) Aislinn: No, I’ve heard of. (0:25:41) Aislinn: You know, it is. (0:25:42) Al: Ah. (0:25:42) Aislinn: I never played it because I have a friend that I knew I knew would love this game. (0:25:44) Aislinn: And I was like, I’m gonna let her have it and have her moment because I feel like this (0:25:48) Aislinn: is a game suited for her because she is her whole branding is rabbit. (0:25:51) Aislinn: So I’m like, I’m gonna let her have her moment. (0:25:53) Aislinn: But I’ve seen this game very cute. (0:25:55) Aislinn: And I think from what I know about this game, yes, it’s very similar. (0:25:58) Aislinn: It is, instead of it being a bunny collecting game, a frog. (0:25:59) Al: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Cool. Well, yeah, I mean, I personally, when I’ve seen it, I’ve liked (0:26:07) Al: the look of it. I’ve seen you stream it a little bit because if people don’t know, Aislinn (0:26:09) Aislinn: Mm-hmm (0:26:12) Al: is a streamer, a very good streamer, a very fun streamer. Doing mostly cosy games would (0:26:14) Aislinn: Hey, thank you (0:26:18) Al: be a fair way to describe it. You don’t discriminate on your cosy games, you just do whatever you’re (0:26:25) Aislinn: Yeah, pretty much. It’s whatever. It happens to usually be cozy, but I’m open to anything (0:26:32) Aislinn: as long as I’m having a good time at the end of the day. (0:26:34) Al: Yeah. Yeah. Fair enough. Cool. Well, I’ll hand it off to you to start off with then. (0:26:40) Al: Tell me about this game. You’ve gotten into it. What’s it like? (0:26:44) Aislinn: Well, first of all, buckle in, because it’s time. (0:26:50) Al: It’s time for Essay! (0:26:55) Aislinn: I love this game, just to preface it. (0:26:58) Aislinn: So I am definitely very biased in the sense that I will give this game all of the praise (0:27:02) Aislinn: in the world, because I love this game, I’ve met the developers, and everything from beginning (0:27:11) Aislinn: to end has been a wonderful experience with this game. (0:27:13) Aislinn: I’m very biased in the– (0:27:14) Aislinn: I’m very biased in the positive end of this game, but what Kamaeru is from the website (0:27:21) Aislinn: Kamaeru is a cozy farming sim game in which you breed and collect frogs, decorate your refuge, and restore wetlands in order to grow food and other resources (0:27:29) Aislinn: There’s also, like, from the Steam page as well, it mentions (0:27:34) Aislinn: With the help of the game’s cast of welcoming NPCs, you have photograph and breed frogs to increase your reputation, decorate your frog refuge, and plant native crops de– (0:27:44) Aislinn: to help your amphibian abode thrive (0:27:47) Aislinn: Um, and pretty much the gameplay loop of the game is collecting frogs, whether you are feeding them, you’re breeding them, you are taking photos of them (0:27:58) Aislinn: You can collect 500+ frogs, and add them to your frogadex (0:28:02) Al: 500. Wow. So many frogs. I always find it funny when they say 500 plus. It’s like how (0:28:03) Aislinn: 500+! So many frogs! It’s so good! (0:28:09) Al: many more plus? Is- is- (0:28:10) Aislinn: I think it’s like, I think it’s like, I’m not going to lie, I think it’s like five. (0:28:14) Aislinn: I have the the number 512 in my head, and I don’t know if that’s correct or not. (0:28:18) Al: I just feel like just put the number, right? Like 500 plus, just put the number, right? (0:28:21) Aislinn: Yeah, right? Yeah, I… (0:28:25) Aislinn: Yeah, yeah, I agree, but you know, you gotta you gotta make it look enticing by saying plus. (0:28:31) Al: But like, I feel like most people would probably look at that and go, “Oh, so like 501 then.” (0:28:39) Al: Whereas if it was like much more than that, you would put the number, right? Like if it (0:28:41) Al: was 590, you wouldn’t say 500 plus, you’d say nearly 600. (0:28:46) Aislinn: True. It’s like saying, it’s like people when they say like, oh a few, a couple, (0:28:50) Aislinn: that could mean multiple different things to different people, so. (0:28:56) Aislinn: I think it’s like five, twelve. I’m pretty sure it’s less than five fifty though. (0:29:00) Aislinn: So I’ll say somewhere within that range. True. (0:29:00) Al: I mean 500 is a lot, no matter how many exactly it is, 500 plus. (0:29:07) Aislinn: And they’re all adorable. All so cute. And I love that it’s called the Frogadex. I think that is so (0:29:13) Aislinn: adorable. (0:29:14) Al: Hmm. Classic. (0:29:16) Aislinn: Yeah, it’s real. It’s real good. You collect the frogs, 500 plus frogs, just so you know. (0:29:21) Al: 500 plus. (0:29:25) Aislinn: You restore the wetlands, which is one of my favorite things, I think, by far about (0:29:29) Aislinn: this game is that there is a… it’s not… it’s definitely by no means. There’s not a (0:29:35) Aislinn: lot of… it’s not super… it’s not super in-depth in regards to, like, the (0:29:40) Aislinn: restor… like, learning about the restoration process, but you do learn (0:29:44) Aislinn: about what it’s (0:29:46) Aislinn: kind of like to restore a wetland or restore an (0:29:48) Aislinn: environment and it there is a focus on this in this game of (0:29:52) Aislinn: just conservation and everything, which makes me very (0:29:56) Aislinn: happy. Like there’s a it’s not just a game about collecting (0:30:00) Aislinn: frogs is also a message, especially with me melting over (0:30:04) Aislinn: here because of global warming, I think it’s wonderful. It’s (0:30:06) Aislinn: perfect timing. It’s wonderful. So there’s that. And then with (0:30:12) Aislinn: that, there’s also decorating your wetlands is decorating your (0:30:16) Aislinn: there is froggy. There’s a froggy chair. Confirm there is a (0:30:20) Aislinn: froggy chair. There’s froggy furniture in general. So if you (0:30:23) Aislinn: like those little guys, this froggy everything. And it is (0:30:30) Aislinn: available on Steam on the Xbox series and the Nintendo Switch. (0:30:37) Aislinn: But if it were up to me, I would recommend playing it on (0:30:41) Aislinn: thirsty with a mouse because it’s a very clicky game. (0:30:43) Al: It’s a very clicky game, isn’t it? (0:30:46) Aislinn: I was given a key by Armor Games because that’s the publisher, so they gave me a key for Steam but I bought the game on Switch because I loved the game so much that I wanted to also buy the game to support developers as well and I still enjoy it on the Switch but I definitely enjoy it way more on the PC personally. (0:31:04) Al: Mm hmm. (0:31:12) Al: Does the touch screen work on Switch? (0:31:12) Aislinn: Actually, it’s a good point. (0:31:16) Al: You haven’t tried. (0:31:16) Aislinn: I realized… I don’t think I tried. (0:31:18) Al: I can’t believe you haven’t tried. (0:31:19) Al: Like, I just I can’t I can’t imagine you would you would go and go, oh, (0:31:23) Al: this is this is a game that seems to work much better when you can just click (0:31:27) Al: on the things you want and you didn’t go and you didn’t go, well, (0:31:28) Aislinn: Yeah, I think I did, I think I did, but also I don’t remember, because the most recent (0:31:30) Al: let me just try tapping on the things that I want. (0:31:39) Aislinn: times that I’ve played Kameeru on the Switch, I had it all the time docked on a TV. (0:31:44) Al: Yeah, that’s fair. That’s fair (0:31:44) Aislinn: So that’s why I’m like, um, I don’t remember I don’t because I just, I haven’t played the (0:31:49) Aislinn: Switch handheld in a while. (0:31:51) Aislinn: So that’s probably why I don’t remember. (0:31:53) Aislinn: I would guess so though, I would guess it can be touchscreen, but you’re going to primarily (0:31:58) Aislinn: be playing it with a controller, which is okay, but it’s definitely built better for (0:32:02) Aislinn: a mouse. (0:32:04) Aislinn: And even when I was talking with the developers, when I met them at PAX East, they were like, (0:32:08) Aislinn: yeah, this game is better on, on a, on a PC. (0:32:10) Aislinn: So even they’re just, even they’re aware, but they have to, you got, you got to do what (0:32:14) Al: It’s hard, I think, when you’ve got a game that’s very clicky to map that to a controller. (0:32:20) Aislinn: - Yeah. (0:32:20) Aislinn: Mm-hmm. (0:32:23) Al: I did just search and it looks like it doesn’t work with the touch screen on Switch, which (0:32:27) Al: is a bit sad. That could have been a really nice way to do it. I actually think, you know, (0:32:28) Aislinn: Aww. Yeah. (0:32:31) Al: because Usagi Shima is like a mobile game, so it works really well with that, because (0:32:36) Al: obviously you just got a touch screen. I feel like it could work really well on like an (0:32:36) Aislinn: Yeah. (0:32:39) Al: iPad or something like that. But yeah, I get the complication with that. (0:32:40) Aislinn: Yeah. (0:32:44) Al: It’s difficult. And I think that, you know, even something like Stardew with a controller, (0:32:53) Al: there’s always a few things that you’re just like, “That’s not ideal,” because it’s a difficult (0:32:56) Aislinn: - Yeah. (0:32:56) Aislinn: Mm-hmm. (0:32:57) Al: thing to do when you design it around mouse and keyboard. That’s how you start off with (0:33:02) Al: things and that makes specific decisions about how the game works, you know. (0:33:07) Aislinn: Yeah, definitely, again, definitely built for the mouse and keyboard situation and everything, (0:33:16) Aislinn: but yeah, just gotta be more marketable. (0:33:20) Aislinn: Get it out to more. (0:33:21) Aislinn: The more people you can get it out to, the better. (0:33:23) Aislinn: And I want more people to see this game anyways. (0:33:24) Aislinn: I love, love, love this game, just the conservation aspect, the everything is cute, the art style (0:33:30) Aislinn: is adorable, the people behind, the people on the team of the game itself are also wonderful (0:33:34) Aislinn: human beings. So like everything through and through. (0:33:38) Aislinn: It’s just it’s just a wonderfully cozy brain turning off type of game and if (0:33:44) Aislinn: you love frogs it’s it’s just it’s a it’s a good game. (0:33:49) Al: So, in terms of actual gameplay, you’re collecting the frogs. How do you collect the frogs? Where (0:33:54) Aislinn: So you can collect the frogs by either taking a photo of them or you can feed them. How to get (0:33:56) Al: do they come from? (0:34:05) Aislinn: the frogs is by placing furniture either in your refuge or in any of the wetlands that you’re (0:34:11) Aislinn: restoring. And then also they’ll appear in the ponds that you also plant or put down rather in (0:34:19) Aislinn: the wetlands as well. So they appear in any of those scenarios and once they appear you’ll see (0:34:24) Aislinn: a little animation pop up if it’s new and you can collect the frogs from there. If you’re feeding (0:34:32) Aislinn: the frogs to collect them you’ll also have to essentially farm and get the bugs that you need. (0:34:38) Aislinn: But what I like is that the game gives you the option to feed it like the bugs that you do have (0:34:43) Aislinn: and then when you see the frog again if you have those bugs that you weren’t able to feed it then (0:34:47) Aislinn: you could feed them again and then you can collect those frogs. The distinction between taking a photo (0:34:54) Aislinn: frogs is that if you take a photo it just gets added to the frogadex. If you collect it it not (0:34:59) Aislinn: only gets added to the frogadex but it also can be used for the breeding of the frogs. (0:35:05) Aislinn: So and then the breeding is also another way to collect frogs as well is that you can try and (0:35:09) Aislinn: breed for the different patterns with the frogs as well. (0:35:12) Al: Yeah, so I saw kind of like a bunch of them are just like it’s a green frog with red arms (0:35:18) Al: type thing. So do you get that by breeding like a green frog and a red frog? Is that (0:35:18) Aislinn: Yeah, well yes and no, yes in the sense that that is ideally how you would do it, but no (0:35:22) Al: the idea? (0:35:23) Al: » Thank you. (0:35:27) Aislinn: in the sense that like the minigames, so this game also has minigames as well, the minigame (0:35:32) Aislinn: that you play to do the breeding, it’s essentially just tic-tac-toe with the computer essentially. (0:35:41) Aislinn: So if you’re lucky, you’ll get what you want, but you have to kind of be strategic with (0:35:47) Aislinn: your tic-tac-toe and hope for the best. (0:35:49) Al: Okay, fair enough. So that’s how… So when you’re doing the breeding, do you select two of them, (0:35:58) Al: and then you do this minigame, and if you win, you get something. Okay. (0:36:02) Aislinn: Yeah, pretty much (0:36:05) Aislinn: Yeah, you collect you choose to the frogs that you fed and then that allows you to (0:36:11) Aislinn: do the mini game to try and get either a pattern that you a pattern and a color that you want or just a pattern depending (0:36:18) Aislinn: On what you’re what you’re trying to breed for you can if you if you want like a specific color (0:36:22) Aislinn: you could do two different patterns and (0:36:25) Aislinn: do both pink of (0:36:28) Aislinn: each frog or something so (0:36:30) Aislinn: There’s a lot of there’s a lot of different (0:36:33) Aislinn: Options between the patterns and the colors that are available to you to try and get what you want to fill up your frog adex (0:36:40) Aislinn: with breeding like eventually I’ll probably (0:36:43) Aislinn: End up breeding towards the tail end of completing the frog adex to try and get fill in those gaps (0:36:49) Al: When you have a very few specific ones that you’ve got to get yeah, yeah, so you’re finding it’s quicker just to catch them in the wild just now because of that. (0:36:51) Aislinn: Yeah (0:36:52) Aislinn: Exactly. That’s probably (0:36:56) Aislinn: Yeah, cuz it’s just yeah cuz it’s like RNG essentially with the with the breeding (0:37:02) Aislinn: Which it’s either you love it or hate it (0:37:04) Aislinn: I guess like for me I don’t particularly mind but I can see someone being like well (0:37:08) Aislinn: I wish I could be more selective about it. So it (0:37:12) Aislinn: Depends on your preference, but definitely I think towards the tail end of completing completing the frog adex (0:37:18) Aislinn: It would be best to just do the breeding and try and hope for the best and you’ll probably have enough money to do (0:37:23) Aislinn: So it only costs I know in the screenshot. It says eight coins (0:37:26) Aislinn: I’m pretty sure that’s consistent throughout the entire gameplay loop that it’s always eight coins (0:37:31) Aislinn: which is not (0:37:33) Al: Yeah, okay, fair enough. How are you getting coins then? Is that through tourism by having (0:37:41) Al: the wetlands, or is it just having the - how do you get them? (0:37:45) Aislinn: That is through the crafting aspect, which is like another minigame in itself. So in each wetland, (0:37:52) Aislinn: I won’t spoil all the wetlands because it is, I guess, a spoiler, technically, and it’s kind (0:37:58) Aislinn: of part of the story. But in each wetland that you are able to have access to, there are different (0:38:04) Aislinn: stations with different NPCs that you interact with and learn about as well in their backstories. (0:38:10) Aislinn: But there’s different stations where you can cook and craft, like you can make. (0:38:16) Aislinn: You can make jams, berry jams, and stuff like that. And then you take those materials that you get, (0:38:24) Aislinn: and you’re able to sell them in the shop back in your refuge to be able to get money, to then be (0:38:29) Aislinn: able to buy more ponds, buy more plants for your wetlands, and buy furniture, breed, repaint your (0:38:40) Aislinn: furniture, etc, etc. So that’s another thing, too, is that you can change depending on most of the (0:38:45) Aislinn: furniture, but most of the furniture, too, in the game. You can also repaint to any color that you (0:38:49) Aislinn: want, but you have to understand color theory. I mean, I guess you could just mess around with it, (0:38:53) Aislinn: but it would take, it would take, it would take, it would take, it would be a go quicker (0:38:58) Aislinn: if you knew color theory. If you don’t know color theory, you’ll get there one way or another. (0:39:02) Al: Instead of just choosing a color, you’re essentially adding color which changes what the color is. (0:39:08) Aislinn: Yeah, they… (0:39:09) Al: If I have a red one and I add blue, it goes purple sort of thing. (0:39:13) Aislinn: yeah pretty much yeah they (0:39:16) Aislinn: to work with and then you kind of adjust the levels from there so you can try and get to the (0:39:21) Aislinn: color that you’re trying to get to. I will say the color palette is still even though there is (0:39:25) Aislinn: like the color theory aspect I will say the color palette still feels slightly limited (0:39:31) Aislinn: but it mostly gets the job done and there’s still a lot of (0:39:35) Al: Now I need to know, on the Steam page, they’ve got this frog standing on the top of a froggy (0:39:41) Al: slide looking very powerful in his stance. Why is he so confident? Yeah. All right, fair (0:39:42) Aislinn: Yeeeaaah! (0:39:48) Aislinn: Why is he so confident? ‘Cause he’s confidently cute! (0:39:53) Aislinn: He’s confidently cute! (0:39:55) Al: enough. (0:39:56) Aislinn: Well, yeah, but like, you can- when you discover the frogs, like in your refuge, (0:40:01) Aislinn: in your wetlands and everything, they can also be in different poses as well, which is very cute. (0:40:05) Al: Yeah, yeah, fair enough. It seems it does seem very similar to sagashima in terms of (0:40:10) Al: like, you know, you’ve got your furniture and they have specific things that they do (0:40:14) Al: with the furniture and you’ll just randomly find that all this one’s on this thing now, (0:40:20) Al: which is very cute. Like the one kind of reaching into a wheelbarrow is very cute. (0:40:25) Aislinn: Oh that one when I saw that one for the first time I cried a little bit. It’s so cute. It’s so cute (0:40:32) Aislinn: That’s what I think gets me the most is just I literally I think through most of my gameplay (0:40:37) Aislinn: When I was streaming at all the entire time. I was like, it’s so cute. These little guys. They’re so cute (0:40:44) Al: How do you find the selection of furniture and poses? Are there enough that you don’t (0:40:49) Al: feel like it’s just repeating very quickly? (0:40:52) Aislinn: Um, I would say the the furniture I haven’t unlocked all the furniture actually, I’m currently in the process (0:40:58) Aislinn: so I finished the main game and (0:41:00) Aislinn: I’m now currently in the process of trying to get (0:41:03) Aislinn: all (0:41:04) Aislinn: Not even all of the furniture, but a bunch of the furniture (0:41:08) Aislinn: My priority more so is I want to complete the frog and eggs. That’s my goal. How will I complete that? (0:41:13) Aislinn: I don’t know. When will I complete that? I don’t know but (0:41:15) Aislinn: With the furniture from the options that I’ve seen it’s a pretty pretty decent variety (0:41:20) Aislinn: and furniture. (0:41:22) Aislinn: As for the frogs, I think I am getting to a point in my Steam game where frogs are (0:41:42) Aislinn: definitely starting to repeat themselves and there is only like maybe like five or so poses (0:41:48) Aislinn: that they cycle through I wanna say. (0:41:50) Aislinn: not too many poses. (0:41:52) Aislinn: It’s just a very cute game to me, and I really love it. (0:42:13) Aislinn: So I personally am not really getting tired of it, but I don’t know when I complete the (0:42:17) Aislinn: frog attacks or when I get all the furniture what else I can do with the (0:42:22) Aislinn: I think once that’s done, like the game is pretty much like done. There’s nothing you can do at this point. (0:42:28) Aislinn: Even when you complete the main story, depending on how much of completionist you are, (0:42:31) Aislinn: it might be like a one and done so much so that like this is another kind of complaint that I have. (0:42:38) Aislinn: But it’s again also a me thing more than anything is that the game doesn’t allow you to have multiple save files. (0:42:44) Aislinn: So it’s literally like one and done. (0:42:47) Aislinn: So that could be (0:42:49) Aislinn: that could be an issue. Personally, why I- (0:42:52) Aislinn: I want multiple save files is because I want to be able to have my on stream copy of the game, (0:42:59) Aislinn: and then my off stream copy of the game, because I like to play this game also in my personal time. (0:43:04) Aislinn: But that’s why I bought the Steam version, because that’s my personal copy, or my second save file, (0:43:09) Aislinn: you could say. But it’s just the only thing that kind of is like “eh” is the fact that I have to (0:43:14) Aislinn: use the controller for that one. So it would be nice to be able to play both versions on PC, (0:43:20) Aislinn: or have both to safe. (0:43:23) Al: Yeah, yeah, fair enough. OK, in terms of the designs of the frog, I’ve seen, like, you (0:43:33) Al: know, obviously like the split colours and stuff like that. And I’ve seen some with spots. (0:43:39) Al: Do they have things like, you know, the stripey ones and stuff like that? Is it like, because (0:43:43) Al: obviously 500 is pretty easy to get to 500 when you’ve only got a few designs and a few (0:43:48) Al: colours, right? Because, like, just numbers multiply massively. And obviously, you know, (0:43:53) Al: obviously it is, I mean, they’re even just saying the same thing with different colours (0:43:58) Al: over and over again is very cute. You don’t find any saminess to the design. (0:44:05) Aislinn: um no not really there’s a good there’s a pretty I i want to say between the 500 plus frogs (0:44:13) Aislinn: that exist um there is I think like seven or eight I believe different patterns that you can (0:44:22) Aislinn: come across some being the stripes some being like the pattern on the arm the spotted one um (0:44:29) Aislinn: there are some cute ones that you’ll come across like acute patterns in my but there’s one i’m very (0:44:33) Aislinn: I’ve written one that I very, very much. (0:44:35) Aislinn: so love because I love this specific type of pattern for like anything. (0:44:39) Aislinn: It is also kind of associated with emoji that I use like all the time for everything. (0:44:43) Aislinn: So I personally like the different patterns that they have for the frogs. (0:44:51) Aislinn: And I have no issue with it. (0:44:53) Aislinn: The only thing that gets kind of awkward is like, for example, (0:44:56) Aislinn: or yeah, for all of the patte

Sailor Noob is the podcast where a Sailor Moon superfan and a total noob go episode by episode through the original Sailor Moon series!This week, trouble is a-bakin' as the Sailor Senshi face a delicious and deadly foe! Makoto and Usagi are invited on a cooking show, but can they convince Taiki to help them before Shadow Galactica cooks their goose?In this episode, we discuss the history of Iron Chef. We also talk about weird chips, coffee Blake, Tetsuro and Canada, eating brown goo, Sailor WikiFeet, surf terms, sparkly star destroyers, keeping Edward and Bella apart, swallow snot, gaming the Iron Chef, evil cake, Sick rose!, Sailor Trash, and our first Jim Jarmusch reference!Hello, I'm Shelley Duvall!We're on iTunes and your listening platform of choice! Please subscribe and give us a rating and a review! Arigato gozaimasu!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sailor-noob/id1486204787Answer this week's show question on Spotify!Listen to our new podcast, Mona Lisa Overpod!https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mona-lisa-overpod--6195851Become a patron of the show and get access to our live-action PGSM, Animedification, Utena, Ghibli, and Evangelion podcasts!http://www.patreon.com/sailornoobPut Sailor Noob merch on your body!http://justenoughtrope.threadless.comSailor Noob is a part of the Just Enough Trope podcast network. Check out our other shows about your favorite pop culture topics and join our Discord!http://www.twitter.com/noob_sailorhttp://www.justenoughtrope.comhttp://www.instagram.com/noob_sailorhttps://discord.gg/49bzqdpBpxBuy us a coffee on Ko-Fi!https://ko-fi.com/justenoughtrope

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Al and Codey talk about the year so far in games, and what they are still excited for. Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:04:39: What Have We Been Up To 00:08:47: News 00:53:27: Mid Year Check-in 01:14:35: Outro Links Southfield Delay Hello Kitty: Island Adventure Harvest Days 1.0 Release Natsu-Mon 20th Century Summer Vacation Roots of Pacha “1.2” Update Chill Town “Auto Farming” Update Disney Dreamlight Valley “The Lucky Dragon” Update Smushi Come Home “Heart of the Forest” Update Sprout Valley “Summer” Update Research Story on Steamdeck Farmagia Trailer Tales of the Shire Sneak Peek Lou’s Lagoon Farlands Games discussed: Disney Dreamlight Valley Window Garden Rusty's Retirement Coral Island Stardew 1.6 Starstruck Vagabond Go-Go Town Kamaeru: Frog Refuge Go-Go Town Tales of the Shire Of Life and Land Southfield Mika and the witch's mountain Len's Island 1.0 Research Story 1.0 Chill Town 1.0 Snacko 1.0 Coral Island 1.1 Contact Al on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheScotBot Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript (0:00:30) Al: Hello, farmers, and welcome to another episode of The Harvest Season. (0:00:35) Al: My name is Al. (0:00:38) Codey: Cody. (0:00:38) Al: And we’re here today to talk about cottagecore games. (0:00:42) Codey: Woo! (0:00:46) Al: That was a really long woo. (0:00:48) Codey: It was… (0:00:50) Codey: It’s like when you’re… (0:00:50) Al: Like it sounded like we were falling off a cliff there. (0:00:54) Codey: It’s like when you’re hugging a friend and you’re like, (0:00:56) Codey: “Who’s gonna end it first?” (0:00:58) Codey: Like… (0:01:01) Al: It’s like the, you know, the Disney hug rule. (0:01:04) Codey: Oh gosh, no I do not. (0:01:06) Al: So the Disney hug rule and I mean, Disney have never confirmed that this is true. (0:01:10) Al: But when you watch some videos, it’s pretty clear that it’s true. (0:01:14) Al: The theory is that cast members at Disney are told that they are not allowed to stop a hug. (0:01:22) Al: So the kid has to has to be the one that decides when the hug ends. (0:01:26) Codey: That’s horrifying. I would hate that. (0:01:28) Al: So, so you just had, there are, (0:01:31) Al: I’ve seen some TikToks of kids like hugging for like three, four minutes. (0:01:37) Al: And it’s like, I mean, like, well, I mean, presumably Cody, (0:01:41) Al: you would never want to do that job anyway, right? (0:01:45) Codey: I mean, I think it would be fun to like, because I did choir for a really long time and I have kind (0:01:51) Codey: of a Disney voice in choir. I guess they don’t ever really sing at Disney, but like I could, (0:01:57) Codey: like I always thought that would be super fun, but then I remembered I hate children, so. (0:02:04) Al: kind of an important thing for a job at Disney, I would think. (0:02:06) Codey: I also hate, I also hate non-consensual physical content, particularly with children. (0:02:10) Al: Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay. Yeah, so I would say don’t do that job, Cody. That would be my (0:02:15) Codey: So, yeah, no, I’m not going to, yeah. (0:02:20) Al: advice to you. But yeah, I think it’s it’s very funny because like, the comments on these (0:02:26) Al: TikToks tend to be, oh, that kid really needed it. And I’m like, okay, sure, fine. It’s just (0:02:30) Al: funny. [laughs] (0:02:34) Al: Anyway, I think the kids that actually need a hug probably aren’t going to Disney because the parents aren’t taking them. So… (0:02:34) Codey: - Sure. (0:02:40) Codey: Well, and that’s what makes me so uncomfortable. (0:02:42) Codey: Like when, you know, like my little cousins (0:02:45) Codey: or whatever, when I was with my ex (0:02:46) Codey: and like they would come up (0:02:47) Codey: and they would just hug my leg constantly. (0:02:49) Codey: And I was like, ah, I hate this. (0:02:52) Codey: Cause like no amount of me hugging you (0:02:55) Codey: is gonna make you feel better. (0:02:57) Codey: Like, please let me go. (0:03:00) Al: Wow. (0:03:01) Codey: But more importantly, transcripts are available with show notes and on the website. (0:03:07) Al: Woo! (0:03:10) Al: This episode, we’re going to have our mid-year check-in. (0:03:13) Al: So this is something we started last year (0:03:15) Al: when we doubled the number of episodes. (0:03:18) Al: We got to the middle of the year and went, (0:03:20) Al: we’ve had a lot of episodes. (0:03:21) Al: Let’s maybe see what the year’s been like so far (0:03:24) Al: and chat about that. (0:03:26) Al: I thought we would do that again because it’s the end of– (0:03:29) Al: is this autumn? (0:03:30) Al: Is this– is that the current season? (0:03:32) Codey: Oh, and the show. (0:03:32) Al: No, no, no, no, no. (0:03:34) Al: Nowhere’s spring. (0:03:35) Al: No, we’re summer. (0:03:36) Al: We’re summer. (0:03:37) Al: We’re in summer, I think. (0:03:38) Al: Episodes. (0:03:38) Codey: I mean, in the real, real, we’re in summer. (0:03:41) Al: No, I know what we are. (0:03:42) Al: Nowhere in autumn. (0:03:42) Al: We’re in autumn, too. (0:03:43) Al: That’s what we are, of course. (0:03:44) Codey: OK, for the podcast. (0:03:46) Al: Yes. (0:03:46) Al: So this is the last day of autumn. (0:03:48) Al: Next episode will be the first day of winter. (0:03:52) Codey: Can you hear my dog panting? (0:03:54) Codey: Very, very lovely. (0:03:55) Codey: Yeah, no, she’s… (0:03:56) Al: A little, not a huge amount. (0:03:58) Al: So we’re going to chat about the games (0:04:01) Al: that we’ve enjoyed so far from the year. (0:04:03) Al: Spoiler alert, apparently, we’ve not (0:04:05) Al: played a lot of games from this year. (0:04:08) Al: We’re going to talk about what we’re most excited to play (0:04:14) Al: for the rest of the year because we’ve still got six months to go. (0:04:17) Codey: Gosh, it has simultaneously flown by and also– (0:04:18) Al: Or we’ve only got six months to go. (0:04:20) Al: I don’t know which it is. (0:04:24) Codey: there’s still six months. (0:04:28) Codey: But this year is going way too slow for– (0:04:32) Al: yeah before that we have a bunch of news still so much news why is there still so much news (0:04:36) Al: it’s the summer stop giving us news but first of all cody what have you been up to (0:04:42) Codey: I have been doing research, but for video games, I’ve been still playing Power Wash Simulator. (0:04:52) Codey: I have… I believe I’m on the last thing of the, like, story quest. (0:05:01) Codey: So that’s exciting. I’m not going to spoil it for anyone, but that game has been very awesome. (0:05:07) Codey: And then, midway into me playing it, my landlord actually brought me a Power Washer. (0:05:12) Codey: So now I can do it in the real too, which is great, because here soon I’m going to have a void in my heart that is Power Wash Simulator shaped. (0:05:23) Codey: I also started Cassette Beasts, so that was something recently when I noticed that I was going to have a void in my heart. (0:05:31) Codey: I looked at what was available on Game Pass, and I was like, “You know what? Let’s just do it. Let’s do Cassette Beasts.” (0:05:39) Codey: I’m enjoying it so far. It’s definitely (0:05:42) Codey: Pokemon yeah so I mean it’s it’s nice I enjoy it I don’t know if that’s kind of (0:05:44) Al: I have heard good things from some people. (0:05:55) Codey: what I’m looking for right now but I will continue to play it and see where (0:06:00) Codey: it goes so yeah those are the big things other than that I’ve been working my (0:06:04) Codey: coffee job and also doing rover dog-sitting so that’s me what about you (0:06:11) Codey: well. You’re cooking, you’re clicking. (0:06:12) Codey: In what game? Oh, you’re doing it on your computer. (0:06:13) Al: Yes, I’m not fishing. In Farm RPG. Yeah, did you know you could do that? (0:06:24) Al: Maybe that’s dangerous for you to know, I’m not sure. (0:06:26) Codey: so I was going to say, you’re clearly on farm RPG still. (0:06:29) Al: Yes, no. Yeah, I just unlocked a new area to fish in. So, oopsie. I am. Yeah, sorry, (0:06:36) Al: just give me… I literally, I’ve been working towards the thing that I’m currently, I’ve just (0:06:41) Al: unlocked for a week. (0:06:43) Al: I had to do two and a half thousand eggplants to unlock a specific runestone so that I could (0:06:48) Al: then get to a new area. So I’m suddenly like, “Oh, I can do this now! Yay!” But no, that’s (0:06:54) Codey: Yeah, make number go big, number get big, number go brrrrrrrrr. (0:06:55) Al: bad. Yeah. I mean, that is one thing I’ve been doing a lot, is farm RPG. So I’m now making (0:07:03) Al: maybe like 100 to 150 million silver a day. So yeah, a lot. (0:07:09) Codey: Crazy. (0:07:13) Codey: How many drinkings are you at? (0:07:13) Al: Drinkings. Oh, the 99. Yeah, yeah, it bothers me a bit. I have completed 82. But that’s (0:07:17) Codey: Bar, bottles of beer. (0:07:23) Codey: Okay. (0:07:25) Al: taking ages to get to the next level, because like, my crafting is at like level 91, but (0:07:30) Al: my farming is down at 82. And it’s just, it takes so long to up the farming, because there’s (0:07:35) Al: only, you can’t speed it up, really. Like, I’ve sped it up as much as I can. So I think (0:07:40) Al: it’s like roughly they take about half the time now that they’re (0:07:43) Al: meant to but it’s still like that’s and I’m up to 32 plots and to get another (0:07:51) Al: four I need a billion so like that’s not that’s gonna take a long time to get (0:07:56) Al: there but yeah I’ve unlocked a lot of stuff and I feel like I’m just grinding (0:08:01) Al: through the mid game now it’s just taking a long time yeah it is fun and I’m (0:08:06) Codey: - Yeah, I mean it was a fun game though. (0:08:08) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:08:10) Al: I’m definitely not finished yet. (0:08:13) Al: And I’m not gonna stop yet, but yeah, we’re getting there. (0:08:19) Al: We’re getting there. (0:08:21) Al: What was the quest I was looking at? (0:08:24) Al: Can’t remember. (0:08:26) Al: Fishing. (0:08:27) Al: Right, yes, sorry. (0:08:28) Al: Sorry. (0:08:29) Al: I’ve closed the tab now. (0:08:32) Al: I’ve also been playing Go Go Town and Starstruck Vagabond, (0:08:35) Al: and hopefully eventually I’ll do episodes on both of those games. (0:08:39) Al: Because I feel like I’ve been playing both of them for ages (0:08:41) Al: and not done episodes on that. (0:08:44) Al: Time is a timing, so we’ll get there. (0:08:44) Codey: -Well, speaking of things being delayed and maybe doing episodes on things later, (0:08:52) Codey: that’s what we’ve been up to for news, Southfield. (0:08:52) Al: “Wooooh! Time for the news! That says the problem with the segue between sections doesn’t really (0:09:02) Al: work that well when you have to introduce the section. Southfield Early Access has been delayed.” (0:09:10) Codey: which this was like very close to release right like it was (0:09:13) Al: Yeah, it was like tomorrow. Yeah. (0:09:14) Codey: supposed to be released tomorrow when they announced it on Friday. (0:09:20) Al: » Yeah. (0:09:21) Al: » Yeah. (0:09:21) Codey: So like three days before release, which (0:09:23) Al: Yeah, I always find these interesting because it’s like they only actually announced the (0:09:26) Al: release like two weeks ago. So to give the context, they’ve said the reason they’re delaying (0:09:32) Al: is because of performance issues that people have found in the closed beta. But they’ve (0:09:37) Al: been running the closed beta for months, and they announced the early access date two weeks ago. (0:09:43) Al: And this is when they’ve gone, “Oh, we’re not actually going to do that.” So it’s like, (0:09:46) Al: I’m not saying that delaying is a bad thing. It just feels like I’m confused by their timing (0:09:50) Al: of all of this and (0:09:53) Al: like did nobody say anything about the performance in the first multiple months of the closed beta? (0:09:56) Codey: No. So I think that they said, so yeah, it says that they’re a recurring problem being (0:09:58) Al: Or did they think they’d managed to fix it in time or… (0:10:05) Codey: performance. And then in response, we implemented a new way to make the game run more smoothly, (0:10:10) Codey: which worked well. So I’m assuming that they were like, Oh, cool, we’re good. Uh, but the (0:10:14) Codey: caveat is, but created lots of complex issues over the past few weeks. So I think they’d (0:10:20) Codey: like probably felt like they had solved that issue, but then all of these other issues (0:10:26) Codey: are dropping up. Not entirely sure what those are, um, which is fine. I mean, you know, it (0:10:31) Codey: would be better for you to, to perf not perfect, but like, uh, address those issues before (0:10:38) Codey: release. Um, though it was very interesting to me that they say safeguarding our devs (0:10:44) Codey: is very important to us. Oh, okay. I was like, are people going to like attack them if the (0:10:46) Al: Yeah that’s about crunch. They don’t want to crunch. No, so they say the last thing (0:10:53) Codey: The game is bad. (0:10:55) Al: we want to do is put enormous pressure on them to fix these issues for launch and beyond. (0:11:00) Al: Safeguarding is very important. So yeah, they don’t want to crunch basically, which is good. (0:11:02) Codey: Yep. (0:11:06) Al: We don’t want them to crunch either. Do not crunch. Well, it is how things work. That’s (0:11:06) Codey: That’s good. (0:11:08) Codey: Yeah, no, nope. (0:11:09) Codey: That’s not how things work. (0:11:12) Al: that’s the problem. It’s not how things should… (0:11:15) Codey: It shouldn’t be how things work. (0:11:16) Al: I’m actually really happy about this because I was getting very stressed about Southfield (0:11:17) Codey: Yeah. (0:11:23) Al: coming out tomorrow because long time listeners will know that I go away for a month in the (0:11:30) Al: summer and that’s in a month’s time. I wasn’t figuring out… I had no idea how we were going (0:11:42) Al: to cover this game and I really wanted to cover this game when it came out as soon as (0:11:46) Al: I could. Hopefully it’s delayed till at least the second half of August. That’s when I would (0:11:52) Al: like it to come out because then it’s much more sensible timing for us and we can get (0:11:57) Al: a good episode for it. Because Go Go Town came out before it, so obviously I was going to (0:12:03) Al: pick that one up then. It came out like a week ago or something. Is it a week and a half maybe? (0:12:07) Al: I lose track. I could just look at my list but I’m not going to. (0:12:12) Codey: Yeah, I don’t think it matters. I’m trying to see what all it’s on. (0:12:16) Al: I think it’s just on Steam. I don’t know if it’s on Mac. (0:12:16) Codey: Go go 10. (0:12:17) Codey: Oh, I could play it on Switch. (0:12:22) Codey: It says Nintendo Switch PlayStation 5. (0:12:25) Al: Yeah but it’s not out on them yet because it’s in Early Access so it’s only on Steam so far. (0:12:32) Al: And I will say the Go Go Town team have been very good at responding to issues. There was a really (0:12:39) Al: fun issue that crashed the Steam Deck, which was really impressive. But yeah. (0:12:46) Al: So playing the game would be fine and then I would put the Steam Deck on sleep and then I would wake (0:12:52) Al: it back up and I would play for a little bit and then the game would just crash and the entire (0:12:57) Al: system was dead. So I would have to like hard reset it and then come up and then I would have (0:13:03) Al: lost some progress. Interestingly it didn’t seem to be like tracking the amount of time in game. (0:13:09) Al: So like Steam says I’ve played for six hours but I’ve definitely played for like 11 or 12 hours (0:13:13) Al: I’m pretty sure so it was like not (0:13:16) Al: tracking that time but anyway they fixed that issue but then that broke a different (0:13:20) Al: issue on the Steam Deck and I tweeted them and then they fixed it the same day so they’re (0:13:25) Al: very responsive and yeah it’s that’s going really well but I’ll talk about more about (0:13:30) Al: go-go 10 in a future episode speaking of future episodes and past episode Hello Kitty Island (0:13:37) Al: Adventure is finally coming to Switch woo and also also PC and PlayStation but switch (0:13:40) Codey: Whoo! (0:13:42) Codey: Whoo! (0:13:43) Al: Whoo! (laughs) (0:13:46) Al: So it’s not coming out till next year, early 2025. I suspect Q1 for Switch and PC. (0:13:53) Al: They said that Switch is a console exclusive, a timed console exclusive. And then I suspect (0:14:01) Al: PlayStation like Q3 maybe, but we’ll see. Excited. They announced this in the Nintendo Direct, (0:14:07) Al: if you’ve not seen that. And, you know, obviously it’s still a bit away, but I’m very excited that (0:14:14) Al: that they’ve actually finally said it’s (0:14:16) Al: happening because, like, when me and Maddy were talking about it in the episode, we’re (0:14:22) Al: like, yes, Apple Arcade exclusives do sometimes come to other things, but we don’t know if (0:14:28) Al: they are actually planning on doing it, and if so, when, and how long, because, like, (0:14:32) Al: obviously they sign a contract with Apple saying that they’ll be exclusive for a certain (0:14:36) Al: amount of time, and it could be years. We just didn’t know. Now, it does look like that (0:14:41) Codey: - Yeah. (0:14:42) Al: That might have been two years, if it’s coming next year, because it came out last year. (0:14:46) Al: But yeah, we’ll see. Exciting. (0:14:47) Codey: Yeah. (0:14:49) Codey: Yeah? (0:14:49) Codey: It sure looks like Animal Crossing. (0:14:53) Al: Yeah, it feels so… It’s been a while since we’ve done the episode, but like, it doesn’t… (0:15:00) Al: It’s less Animal Crossing, certainly less New Horizons. I guess maybe it’s more like New Leaf (0:15:07) Al: in so much as like, you’re not making the town, right? Like you don’t decide where houses are and (0:15:14) Al: stuff like that. You do. (0:15:16) Al: You can like you design inside the houses, I think. But I don’t think you get to decide (0:15:21) Al: like where things are and stuff like that. The town is defined. The buildings are where (0:15:26) Al: the buildings are and you build them but you build them in so much as there is a plot and (0:15:33) Al: it says build a house here and you go yes please and it’s built. (0:15:37) Al: So yeah, I’m excited to see how that goes. Are you going to play it when it comes out? (0:15:40) Codey: Yeah. We’ll see where my debt’s at at that point. (0:15:43) Al: Fair, fair. (0:15:48) Codey: Also, next year is when I’m going to try and graduate. (0:15:50) Codey: So I might be tearing my hair out. (0:15:53) Al: Cool. (0:15:56) Al: Don’t know what to say. (0:15:57) Codey: Another game, another game that I may or may not play is our next one, which is Harvest Days. (0:16:02) Al: Yes. (0:16:03) Codey: I don’t know if I’ve ever looked at this game or seen this game before. (0:16:06) Al: Yeah, we’ve we definitely have talked about it before. (0:16:09) Al: I think early access came out, it was maybe late 2022. (0:16:14) Al: I think it’s a like a family that develop it. (0:16:18) Al: Like I think it might be husband and wife, it might be father and son. (0:16:23) Al: But yeah, yeah, it’s quite simplified, like (0:16:24) Codey: It sure is just farming simulator, but a cozy version though at least that’s what it looks like (0:16:33) Al: person character models and a few kind of things are clearly a little bit (0:16:39) Al: simplified, like the kind of buildings and stuff like that. (0:16:42) Al: But like the trees, I mean, it doesn’t look bad. (0:16:44) Al: Like certainly there’s like areas of like trees and grass that look quite nice. (0:16:44) Codey: No, not at all (0:16:49) Al: The animals look interesting kind of balance between (0:16:54) Al: Cartoony and real I think (0:16:55) Codey: Yeah, I think that me saying farming simulator but cozy is meant to be a compliment because (0:17:01) Al: Oh yeah, yeah, for sure, for sure. (0:17:04) Codey: farming simulator they go hard so having it basically kind of be the quality of (0:17:09) Codey: that but be a little bit more of a cartoony or illustrated feel looks (0:17:14) Codey: really interesting and the 1.0 is coming on July 24th 25th and it’s also coming (0:17:19) Codey: to consoles on that day. (0:17:21) Al: Yeah, that was just like a hey, but we’re also coming to consoles on that day. I don’t (0:17:28) Al: think they really talked about consoles before. So honestly, impressive. I guess we’ll see (0:17:34) Al: how well the console versions run because obviously they’ll be using porting companies (0:17:38) Al: and they can be hit or miss depending on which one you have, as we found with Stardew. So (0:17:46) Al: yeah, it’ll be interesting to see because it’ll either be really impressive, like… (0:17:51) Al: Is that how you play games now? You only play games now? (0:18:02) Codey: things, random things come to Game Pass, so I’m never. (0:18:08) Codey: Yeah, so anytime I’m feeling a void in my life, I go to the Game Pass page and I’m (0:18:14) Codey: like, and I have a, this is what I wanted to play later page. (0:18:18) Codey: And then I go to that and then see what’s, or like anything that’s new or popular or (0:18:23) Codey: something like Coral Island was on my, even though I wasn’t going for Coral Island. (0:18:28) Codey: I was like, Oh, there it is. (0:18:31) Al: Next, we have Natsumon 20th Century Summer Vacation, which up until this point is a Japanese (0:18:38) Al: exclusive on Switch, I think. They have announced they’re coming to Steam, and on the Steam page, (0:18:48) Al: it says, in big letters, in English, the only English on the page, it says, “English will (0:18:54) Al: be available on August 6, 2024.” They also announced there was a DLC for the game. (0:19:01) Al: That’s all in Japanese, so I’m not going to talk about that just now. (0:19:06) Codey: Yup. And then, uh, give Matt’s who on Twitter, um, said that they, um, had (0:19:14) Codey: asked, they’d emailed, um, the developers were spike Chunsoft to find out, (0:19:21) Codey: um, if that means that the switch version is also coming, uh, to English. (0:19:27) Codey: Um, and their response was, um, that they don’t have any information to share. (0:19:32) Al: Yeah, you would think that they would do it, right? (0:19:34) Codey: and yes. (0:19:36) Al: Surely. (0:19:36) Codey: Some people are thinking, some people are thinking (0:19:38) Codey: that there’s a couple like game, not like direct style things (0:19:43) Codey: like happening in Japan soon. (0:19:46) Al: Ah, so they might announce it in one of them. Makes sense. Yeah. (0:19:46) Codey: And so maybe they’re going to announce it. (0:19:48) Codey: Yeah, so they don’t want to announce it to Gamatsu, (0:19:51) Codey: but they, it might be announced in something like that. (0:19:54) Al: I need to double check because I’m pretty sure the last one also did the same thing where they (0:20:00) Al: just came out in Japan and then they released on Steam and released the English language as well. (0:20:06) Al: I can’t remember what that one was called. Look, the game names are just so complicated. (0:20:13) Al: Um… (0:20:16) Codey: before you. Oh, Shin Chan, me and the professor on summer vacation. Wait, is Natsuma on Shin (0:20:16) Al: yeah that one I think yes me yes so yes no I don’t know so this is that so (0:20:24) Codey: Chan? Oh. (0:20:32) Al: it’s I believe no but maybe okay so Shinshan is not the same thing but it’s (0:20:42) Al: It’s a spiritual successor to summer vacation. (0:20:44) Codey: okay (0:20:46) Al: But now there’s also the new summer vacation game. (0:20:50) Al: Maybe. (0:20:52) Al: It’s really hard because there’s so little information on these games and actually in English. (0:20:57) Codey: is it one of the boku no natsu yes (0:20:58) Al: The new one, this new one is, yeah. (0:21:04) Al: But not Shun-chan. It’s not technically the same. (0:21:07) Al: So Shun-chan, me and the professor on summer vacation, I don’t think is technically… (0:21:13) Al: Yeah, so Wikipedia says the game has been described as a spiritual. (0:21:16) Al: This was definitely the game I was thinking of, so I didn’t realize it wasn’t actually an official Boku no Nats. (0:21:32) Codey: Not to you, sumi. (0:21:33) Al: I need to get Micah on the podcast to tell us, because he knows about all these games, and which one is what, and so I need him to explain this to me. (0:21:33) Codey: Yeah. (0:21:38) Codey: My– yeah. (0:21:43) Codey: OK, cool. (0:21:44) Codey: Well, I’ll leave it to Micah. (0:21:46) Al: I will definitely be having him on in the next couple of months, but I won’t spy a wolf. (0:21:51) Codey: Was, is it for Natsuman 20th century summer vacation? (0:21:56) Al: I said I’m not going to spoil it. Come on. (0:21:58) Codey: You have no information to share. (0:22:00) Al: I have no information to share, but I’ll also put some information somewhere else, (0:22:06) Codey: Okay, cool. (0:22:07) Al: because it’s like the Steam page saying “oh this is happening” and they’re like “ah we have no (0:22:11) Al: information to share”. Okay, sure, whatever. Roots of Patria have a 1.2 update coming out on July the (0:22:13) Codey: Right, right, right. (0:22:14) Codey: I’ll watch your Steam page. (0:22:23) Al: 31st, which is also the same day the (0:22:26) Codey: Yeah, the roots of Pacha, um, again, I’m excited to see if they will, if this will (0:22:31) Codey: be on game pass, because then I’ll start a new save. (0:22:35) Codey: Um, so I guess I have it on switch. (0:22:37) Codey: So I guess I could just play it on switch or did I play, I don’t (0:22:40) Codey: remember how I played this game. (0:22:42) Codey: Um, the update has a lot of really cool stuff. (0:22:45) Codey: Uh, there’s an update to the pets system and some of them you can upgrade to be (0:22:51) Codey: amount and in that it said that there’s a giant cave spider. (0:22:56) Codey: Um, shook because I didn’t know that there was a giant (0:22:59) Codey: cave spider in this game as a pet. (0:23:01) Codey: Uh, so I now want, yeah, there’s also a new way to water. (0:23:02) Al: I, yeah, I don’t, I don’t know what to say. (0:23:09) Codey: So instead of having to water everything, they basically have a sprinkler, (0:23:12) Codey: but it’s not a sprinkler. (0:23:14) Codey: It’s like, it’s a thing called an Ola where you just put water in us in the (0:23:20) Codey: central thing, and then it waters the, uh, surrounding eight blocks. (0:23:25) Al: Yeah, so this this had like irrigation lines, I think previously, which was the only way (0:23:30) Al: you watered. So this is just a new option for watering, which is cool. Also child labour. (0:23:34) Codey: Yeah. Uh, child labor. Yeah. Let’s, you want to expand on that. (0:23:41) Al: So yeah, I find this really funny because I was just like scrolling through it all and I’m like, (0:23:44) Al: oh, OK, cool, cool. Yeah, animals. That’s fine. Oh, there’s this some stuff about the school. (0:23:49) Al: Cool. And then the learning. So what’s a learning station? Let’s see. After building the school, (0:23:54) Al: you’ll get a learning station that can (0:23:55) Al: be placed in the fields, affecting a 7x4 area. After adding some contributions, the children will (0:24:01) Al: check it every morning to clean affected sheds and talk to the animals living inside, water and (0:24:06) Al: harvest plants, refill olives, pump irrigation pumps, harvest honey and harvest trees. So yeah, (0:24:12) Al: that’s child labour. Whoo! (0:24:14) Codey: - Child labor. (0:24:16) Al: Woo! (laughs) (0:24:18) Codey: It also coincides with the, (0:24:21) Codey: they have a new like development stage for your child. (0:24:23) Codey: So they go from being like a toddler to a school age student (0:24:27) Codey: and then, or not student, school age child. (0:24:30) Codey: So they go from being useless to being mildly useful, (0:24:32) Al: They’ve gone from being an inconvenience to being mildly useful. (0:24:33) Codey: which is why they’ve added the labor, I guess. (0:24:42) Codey: What an energy suck. (0:24:44) Codey: Now I’m… (0:24:46) Al: And that’s not what happens with actual children, right? (0:24:49) Al: Even if they are useful in some ways, they are still a drain on you emotionally and physically. (0:24:52) Codey: I thought you were going to say that’s not what happens, they’re very loving even when (0:25:02) Codey: they’re inconvenient, you still love them very much. (0:25:03) Al: No, well, yes, yes, but they are also a drain on you emotionally and physically. (0:25:04) Codey: You’re like, they always suck. (0:25:09) Codey: That’s true, that’s true, that’s- yep, that’s- yeah. (0:25:12) Al: I love my children. I love them most when they’re sleeping. (0:25:20) Codey: There are very few kids. (0:25:22) Codey: And then there’s just such a gamble about whether or not I would like mine, so I’m just not going to happen. (0:25:31) Al: Children are a gamble. Great. (0:25:32) Al: And… (0:25:33) Codey: There, a gamble. (0:25:34) Codey: You can also, other things that were added in this release, midday saves. (0:25:39) Codey: So before, if you wanted to save in the middle of the day, it would end your day. (0:25:44) Codey: So now you can say, oh, I just want to save and keep playing versus save and end the day. (0:25:48) Al: I wonder why they’ve restricted it to your bed when you don’t have to go to sleep now. (0:25:54) Al: That seems like a weird, like, you can save at any point in the day but you have to go to your bed to do it. (0:26:00) Codey: You take you nap and you just go you just go rot in bed for like an hour and that’s. (0:26:02) Al: But they’re not napping, they’re just saving. That’s it. (0:26:07) Al: But they don’t, they don’t. I’m watching it just now. They just stand next to it, (0:26:10) Codey: This is what this is what this is what I do. (0:26:10) Al: it saves, and then you’re still standing there. (0:26:14) Al: Like, what? I just, I don’t understand. Like, either you think that the (0:26:18) Al: it’s an important part of your game loop is that you have a day and it saves between them, right? I, (0:26:24) Al: personally, I think we’re past that. And I don’t think you should just do that. But like, (0:26:28) Al: or you let people save whenever from a menu, like, why this weird halfway house? (0:26:30) Codey: Yeah. (0:26:35) Al: Like, because then you get into the whole, oh, well, we don’t want people to like save scum. And (0:26:39) Al: I’m like, I don’t care. Why, why do you care what people are doing? Like, because they can still do (0:26:44) Al: out with the whole game. (0:26:46) Codey: Let people, let people. (0:26:48) Al: It just seems like such a weird restriction, like if you think that you should only save (0:26:52) Al: at the end of the day, fine. I think that’s silly, but fine, go for it. If you’re going (0:26:56) Al: to allow people to save whenever, allow them to save whenever, don’t put artificial restrictions (0:27:01) Al: on top of that. It’s like they didn’t want to add an extra menu. That’s what it feels (0:27:03) Codey: It’d do be a thing. (0:27:09) Al: like, right? They have the menu already to go to sleep, so they just added an extra item (0:27:13) Al: in the menu, and they’re like, they’re done, happy, stop moaning at us. That’s what it (0:27:16) Codey: Yeah, I mean, it’s fair. (0:27:18) Al: feels like. (0:27:22) Codey: Uh, another thing that they added was, uh, some different relationship mechanics. (0:27:26) Codey: So it sounds like now you can say when you only want to date one person versus you also (0:27:34) Codey: can like have it so that people don’t tell, tell others that you’re dating. (0:27:40) Al: Yeah, this is weird, right? Because they did already have unions, right? They’re not new. (0:27:42) Codey: Yeah. (0:27:45) Al: They already existed in the game. But something has changed, and neither of us played the (0:27:49) Al: game, I think, enough to actually understand what’s changing here. (0:27:52) Codey: Yeah, I never I never went to it. I never got to the union stage. So (0:27:56) Al: So I don’t know, if you wanted to do something with relationships that you couldn’t do, (0:28:02) Codey: most important thing you can smooch at your wedding there’s also a few new (0:28:03) Al: maybe you can do it now. (0:28:10) Codey: languages Korean being one of them I don’t remember the other one (0:28:16) Al: a traditional change. (0:28:18) Codey: but the most important thing they had some small quality of life things and (0:28:22) Codey: one of them is to have a transfer all or transfer matching options in storage (0:28:27) Codey: boxes and inventory I love this I love like if you have something in your menu (0:28:32) Codey: or in your inventory and it’s in the storage box and you can just be like (0:28:37) Codey: transfer the stuff that is already in there that is in my like just get it out (0:28:38) Al: Yeah, I (0:28:41) Codey: of my (0:28:41) Al: I use that feature in Stardew all the time (0:28:44) Codey: yeah (0:28:44) Al: It’s like especially in Stardew when you have like such limited boxes, right? (0:28:47) Codey: yeah (0:28:48) Al: You go up to a box you click the button you go to the next box you click the button and it’s like half your (0:28:52) Al: Inventory is gone. It’s great (0:28:53) Codey: yeah it also says that there’s new sorting methods which is great as well I (0:28:57) Al: Do they make any more sense in the Stardew sorting methods maybe (0:29:00) Codey: I don’t know, I’ve never… (0:29:02) Codey: I just… it’s something that I’ve… from playing Disney Dreamlight Valley, I really like the way that you can sort and do your inventory stuff in that game, so I’m just… I like seeing that in other games. (0:29:16) Al: Cool. Next we have Chill Town, who have a new update. The Auto Farming Update, which (0:29:24) Al: is coming out on the 28th of June. Fully Automate Watering and Harvesting. So I don’t know, have (0:29:31) Al: you watched the video for this Cody? I was so confused by this, because I was like, oh (0:29:32) Codey: I did. So the way that… (0:29:36) Al: so they’ve got like sprinklers and like the equivalent of Junimos or whatever. And then (0:29:42) Al: I watch the video and like it appears (0:29:46) Al: you like press a button and you go automate farming and your character goes in like (0:29:52) Al: waters each individual crop and harvests it. (0:29:52) Codey: Oh, yeah, I mean, I love I love this. (0:29:57) Codey: I love this idea that it’s like, OK, I’m going to go farm. (0:30:00) Codey: Let me do that. (0:30:01) Codey: And while I do that, I’m going to go to the bathroom (0:30:02) Al: Well, this is the thing. This is just like, I don’t, I don’t understand what, like, this (0:30:03) Codey: and I’m going to read something. (0:30:08) Al: is weird. Like, I don’t, I don’t. (0:30:10) Codey: It’s chill town. (0:30:12) Al: Well, this is the thing. I don’t understand. So you’re not playing the game. Like, it’s (0:30:13) Codey: You’re chilling. (0:30:15) Codey: You just watch the game play. (0:30:24) Codey: You were up to that point. (0:30:25) Al: and I, and I don’t mean, and I don’t mean, right, I don’t like, oh, you have, you should (0:30:33) Al: people will know I love automation in games. I love it. But for me, the automation in games, (0:30:39) Al: it frees you up time in the game to do other things. This is not doing that. This is just (0:30:46) Al: means you press one button and you leave it and it does the same thing over and over and (0:30:48) Codey: It… (0:30:51) Al: over again. (0:30:52) Codey: It frees up your time in the real. (0:30:56) Codey: It’s like Rusty’s retirement. (0:31:00) Codey: I love it. (0:31:03) Al: Rusty’s retirement is different, right? Because that the whole point of that game is you are (0:31:06) Al: telling somebody, hey, these are the things that you do, right? Like, you’re not actually (0:31:11) Al: controlling him. You’re telling him what to do. This is completely different. I just, I (0:31:15) Al: don’t, I don’t understand why anybody would want this feature. It seems weird to me. I (0:31:23) Codey: I love it. I really like multitasking. And one thing that I get stuck with in power washing (0:31:29) Codey: my leader, for example, is I put on my little silly little audio book. I wash powerfully, (0:31:37) Codey: and then I get four texts. And I’m like, for you know, a couple texts from different people (0:31:41) Codey: or a message or something like an email, and I’ll be like, Oh, I’ll check that once I finish (0:31:46) Codey: this wall. And then an hour and a half later, I’ve finished the entire building, and I check, (0:31:53) Codey: 10 messages. And I’m just like, it, it will because you go you so it’s like, Oh, (0:31:54) Al: I don’t think this is going to solve that problem for you Cody. (0:32:01) Codey: time to harvest my stuff, click auto harvest, check all my messages. (0:32:05) Al: not going to do that, you’ll just get distracted by something else instead. This is not going (0:32:10) Al: to solve your ADHD, Cody. That’s not what this is going to do. And I just, I can’t, (0:32:14) Codey: It’s supposed to. (0:32:15) Al: I can’t, it’s not. I just, I can’t imagine ever wanting to do this, because I, what am (0:32:23) Al: I doing while that’s happening? I’m not going to sit sitting at the screen, I’m just going (0:32:28) Al: to go TikTok. Like I don’t, I don’t. This is. (0:32:32) Codey: i’ll like play with my dog in between this i’ll that’s this one i’ll like get her i’ll either (0:32:37) Codey: check my messages or i’ll be like go get your ball and then we like throw the ball for a little bit (0:32:42) Codey: while it’s happening that’s the kind of stuff I would (0:32:44) Al: I love automation. This is not it. I don’t understand it. And if you are excited about this, (0:32:49) Al: you’re fine. I’m glad for you. I don’t, I don’t want it. I don’t understand it. It doesn’t make (0:32:50) Codey: Chiltown you do you you do you (0:32:57) Al: any sense to me. I know, but like, give me proper automation is what I’m like. I was excited and now (0:32:57) Codey: Well, you know what it’s toggle and you don’t have to do it what I’ve been (0:33:07) Al: I’m confused. Maybe, maybe. I do think the, the automating. Well, no. (0:33:08) Codey: Maybe that’s not maybe that’s the next thing (0:33:12) Codey: Speaking of the next thing (0:33:14) Al: Just before that, they did look like they had automated fishing as well. Now that, because (0:33:15) Codey: Okay (0:33:19) Al: when they went into the auto menu, let me just double check. Yeah, these got auto fishing. (0:33:25) Al: Now that does sound interesting, but we’ll see. I’ve still not played this game. It’s on my list. (0:33:30) Al: We’ll see. Sorry. I’ll let you do your segue now. Okay. (0:33:32) Codey: the next, next on our list. (0:33:39) Codey: Disney Dreamlight Valley, uh, is pulling me back in, um, just in time for (0:33:44) Al: Oh, disaster. (0:33:46) Codey: me after powerwash simulator ends. (0:33:49) Codey: Um, they’re going to have a new update called the lucky dragon update. (0:33:52) Codey: Uh, it looks like it’s adding, uh, Mulan, Mushu, possibly some other (0:33:56) Codey: cherry blossom items as well. (0:33:59) Codey: Um, cause there’s a lot of cherry blossoms in the picture and you have (0:34:03) Codey: that you’re wearing, uh, that have a lot of cherry blossoms on them. (0:34:06) Codey: Uh, this is called the, uh, I don’t, I mean, like she, they talk about (0:34:06) Al: Is there a link there? Is there a link between? (0:34:14) Codey: blossoms, like the perfect petal, perfect flower, um, and how not every (0:34:23) Al: It does look like the cherry blossom in the movie. Okay, fair enough. (0:34:26) Codey: Yeah, and then also like in the trailer, yeah, you got to be more specific (0:34:27) Al: It’s been a while since I’ve watched it. All I care about is the song. (0:34:33) Al: No, I do not need to be more specific, though, come on. (0:34:37) Codey: Some good songs in that movie (0:34:39) Al: Yeah, I know, but there’s one that’s the best, and you all know it. You’re all singing. (0:34:41) Codey: So (0:34:43) Codey: Yeah, it’s kind of a yikes um (0:34:46) Codey: I mean, it’s a good it’s a good song. It’s called the lucky dragon update. It’s coming on June 26th (0:34:51) Codey: So I think by the time this is out (0:34:54) Al: the day it comes out, yeah, same day so well so you’ll know more than us because (0:34:56) Codey: The day the day you are listening that if you are listening to this it’s out (0:35:02) Al: it’s out now well I’m sure we’ll talk about it in the next episode speaking of (0:35:04) Codey: Yeah, yep, I will play play it much (0:35:06) Al: updates smooshy come home have a new update the heart of the forest update (0:35:12) Al: and this adds some postgame content it’s out now and it adds some new areas some (0:35:18) Al: new skins and some new mushrooms yeah (0:35:24) Al: it looks like a pretty decent sized update for the game and that’s cool (0:35:29) Al: Sprout Valley speaking of small games that have pretty decent sized updates (0:35:34) Al: Sprout Valley have their summer update I think it was actually technically called (0:35:38) Al: like summer 2024 they’ve not got very imaginative names with their updates (0:35:42) Al: here they that adds some new biomes sand stone and jungle some new resources (0:35:51) Al: cactus and bamboo, new fish, sandfish. (0:35:54) Al: Stonefish and jadefish, new pets and pet buffs to increase their speed, travel, luck and energy. (0:36:02) Al: I mean honestly this feels like it might double the size of the game based on what I played which is pretty cool. (0:36:02) Codey: Yeah. Yeah, I don’t know. The fish are exclusive to the biomes. I’m assuming cactus is in sand (0:36:16) Codey: and bamboo is in jungle. Yeah, cool. Updating games. (0:36:22) Al: Speaking of updating games, Research Story is now officially Steam Deck compatible. (0:36:28) Codey: Does this make it more likely that you’ll play it? (0:36:33) Al: Yeah. Theoretically. I feel like they already added controller support. That’s really, (0:36:38) Al: like, when they say, like, playable, there’s… When Valve say whether a game is compatible (0:36:46) Al: with the Steam Deck or not, they have, like, five things that they say, and of the five things, (0:36:53) Al: and that’s controller support. The other ones, they might be annoying because it’s things like (0:37:00) Al: tech size, right? Which isn’t a huge issue for me. I’ve got pretty good eyes, (0:37:05) Al: and it’s things like, does it have its own keyboard, or do you have to pop up the keyboard (0:37:10) Al: and type in yourself? And, like, realistically, these games don’t have a lot of cases with that, (0:37:14) Al: so I don’t really care. If once every 10 hours of game I have to pop up the keyboard manually (0:37:20) Al: and type something in that is not the end of the world. (0:37:22) Al: So yeah, so the five things are the games default graphics configurations performs well on Steam Deck. (0:37:32) Al: That’s reasonably important, right, but for most of these farming games, (0:37:36) Al: unless they’re like big 3D stuff, they’re probably fine like that. (0:37:40) Al: The game shows Steam Deck controller icons. (0:37:43) Al: Yeah, important, but it’s not the end of the world if it doesn’t, right? (0:37:48) Al: All functionality is accessible when using the default controller configuration. (0:37:53) Al: Yeah, but like these will probably be really tiny things, right? (0:37:54) Codey: Yep, and the yep, and those are the three that research story has. The other two are still needs to be worked on, I think, but we’ll be fine. (0:38:07) Al: Hey, tiny text, because and so like, but this is the thing, it could be one word, right? (0:38:08) Codey: I get it because the text is small and maybe difficult to read I got it. (0:38:17) Al: Like they check everything, so if there’s one thing that is small and difficult to read, (0:38:21) Al: Then it’s marked as (0:38:22) Al: most of it is readable and it’s perfectly fine. The other thing is the game supports (0:38:29) Al: Steam Deck’s native display resolution but does not set it by default and may require you (0:38:35) Al: to configure the display resolution manually. It’s like okay I don’t care like oh no I need to (0:38:40) Codey: Yeah. (0:38:41) Al: go into the settings once. Okay great fantastic and yeah the other one that’s not listed here (0:38:48) Al: It is the keyboard because presumably that it does have its own keyboard now (0:38:51) Al: Okay. (0:38:52) Al: Um, but sometimes, sometimes they’ll pop up and say, Oh, you might need to open the (0:38:56) Al: keyboard to input text. (0:38:58) Al: And I’m like, that’s fine. (0:39:00) Al: That’s not the end of the world. (0:39:01) Al: It’s not great. (0:39:02) Al: I mean, the steam deck keyboard is not a good keyboard. (0:39:04) Al: It is a really slow, bad keyboard. (0:39:08) Al: So in game keyboards are always better than that, but like, it’s not like I’m playing (0:39:12) Al: text heavy games ever. (0:39:14) Al: So yeah, but yeah, it’s, it’s the added, as I say, the added controller support like last (0:39:21) Al: year, I feel like, so nothing. (0:39:22) Al: It’s always good when they’re fully compatible, so yeah, good fun. (0:39:36) Al: Far Magia This is the game that was announced by Marvelous. (0:39:38) Codey: for my farm agia. (0:39:43) Al: Technically a year ago, they announced it as Project Magia, but then they told us nothing (0:39:48) Al: about it. (0:39:50) Al: And then this year they announced it again (0:39:52) Al: I’ve been in Australia and told us very little, all they did was “Hey, here are the hot anime people!” (0:40:00) Al: And then, in the Nintendo Direct, suddenly we actually got some gameplay, so that’s exciting. (0:40:08) Al: So, it looks like you are, as I suspected, you are farming and then harvesting your monsters. (0:40:16) Al: And it’s really interesting because there are… (0:40:22) Al: It seems to be like you have tens of monsters. (0:40:28) Al: It’s not like Ooblets, where you grow and you have like five of them in your party. (0:40:34) Al: Like, this guy’s walking around with like 30 foxes. (0:40:38) Al: And it’s like “OK, this is suddenly very interesting. Oh my word, let’s get like 50 of our monsters and attack this massive dragon!” (0:40:48) Al: I am very interested. (0:40:51) Codey: Yeah. Uh, someone on Twitter said Pokemon, but make it fairytale. (0:40:56) Codey: So if you watch, if you see in the anime fairytale, uh, that’s what the person (0:41:00) Codey: thought. Uh, I also thought the animals, the monsters growing from plants was (0:41:03) Codey: really interesting. Um, like the Fox, when it’s a plant, it looks like a corn (0:41:08) Codey: plant and it looks like it’s just the tail that you can see. (0:41:12) Codey: And the tail is all bushy and kind of looks like corn. Um, it’s really cute. (0:41:14) Al: Yeah, it it’s a weird a weird decision to make I feel like it’s like yeah, they look like food (0:41:23) Al: But they’re animals (0:41:26) Codey: There are resources. (0:41:26) Al: Okay (0:41:28) Al: Fine (0:41:29) Al: Yeah, I don’t know. I’m intrigued (0:41:33) Al: It feels like it might be quite a deep and detailed game right because it’s an RPG (0:41:41) Al: Yeah, I have we’ll see what happens (0:41:44) Codey: Well, I mean that’s all you and if you want to cover that game, I can cover the next game with Johnny. (0:41:44) Al: Okay, right, let’s let’s get into this then, shall we? So Tales of the Shire. I feel like (0:41:50) Codey: Um, you know, I’ve been wanting to cover Tales of the Shire. (0:41:59) Al: I get whiplash with this game. Like, so I just I don’t know whether I’m excited about (0:42:03) Codey: - What? (0:42:08) Al: this game or not. I can’t I can’t explain it. But there’s something about the game that (0:42:14) Al: makes me go this is a bit weird. And I don’t know what it is. I mean, the character models (0:42:21) Al: I think are a bit confusing to my brain. Like, it’s not like they look bad, right? I’m not (0:42:24) Codey: Yeah. (0:42:26) Codey: Yeah. (0:42:27) Al: trying to say it’s not like, Oh, bad graphics, right? And I don’t want I don’t need people (0:42:30) Al: coming in going, Oh, it’s because of the switch. I don’t care. Shut up. Right? One, the switch (0:42:35) Al: can clearly have good graphics, right? Have you looked at Breath of the Wild? Come on, (0:42:38) Codey: - Yeah. (0:42:40) Al: It’s not that they look bad, it’s not that they’re like (0:42:46) Al: It’s just there’s something weird about them, and I can’t describe what (0:42:50) Codey: Well, I think that, so for me, it’s they feel chibi almost, but also they’re, they’re (0:42:57) Codey: hobbits. (0:42:58) Codey: They’re just, they, okay. (0:42:58) Al: Yeah, it’s not the proportions to me that’s confusing, right? Like, the proportions look (0:43:04) Al: like what I would expect from Hobbits, right? Because they’re Hobbits. I don’t know if it’s (0:43:09) Al: their facial expressions. I don’t know. Yeah, I don’t know. I think we’re gonna have to see. (0:43:19) Al: Like, I’m not saying I won’t play it. I will play it, of course. (0:43:24) Codey: Yeah, there’s there have been a lot of sneak peeks on site different sites. We looked at IGN and watched the IGN one (0:43:31) Codey: looked really cool (0:43:33) Codey: to me, you know, I saw the (0:43:37) Codey: It sure has farming and and cooking and fishing (0:43:42) Codey: I’m curious to see what more it is than other things (0:43:46) Al: I don’t think it is. I think it’s trying to be exactly what you expect it to be, which (0:43:52) Al: is Stardew but Hobbits. I wouldn’t expect any more. I would almost be a bit disappointed (0:44:00) Al: if it was more than that, because it’s Tales of the Shire, right? It’s not Lord of the (0:44:04) Codey: Yeah. (0:44:08) Al: Rings, it’s not The Hobbit, it’s Tales of the Shire. And the Shire is meant to be the (0:44:12) Al: a place where things don’t happen. (0:44:14) Codey: but they also don’t have like, (0:44:17) Codey: at least we never really saw like mining or anything. (0:44:20) Codey: Like everyone there was a farmer (0:44:22) Al: Yeah. It sucks. It’s the Shire. (0:44:23) Codey: or a gardener or something. (0:44:25) Codey: So like, it just, (0:44:27) Al: They’re not going to be mining. Those are… (0:44:28) Codey: but SARDU has like other things. (0:44:31) Codey: It also has kind of a magic system underneath (0:44:32) Al: Yeah. Okay. (0:44:34) Codey: like the judamos and all of that. (0:44:36)

Usagi tells two short tales to Sanshobo: one that describes a crazy misadventure he had, and another that describes some important lessons from his past. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/usagi-podjimbo/message

The One where Rich Comes back and Tells Us what he REALLY thinks! And Daves plans his SHELF! Join Signal of Doom on Instagram! Please support Signal of Doom on Patreon! Every single dollar helps the show! Please like the Facebook Page! https://www.patreon.com/SignalofDoom Follow us on X: @signalofdoom Dredd or Dead: @OrDredd Legion Outpost: @legionoutpost

Politics and honor don't always mix. In a temple in which Usagi is staying with his friend, Priest Sanshobo, sanctuary is sought by a dying samurai who holds a secret that could change the course of the entire nation. Usagi and Sanshobo are bound to protect it, but there's a whole band of samurai determined to defeat them at any cost! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/usagi-podjimbo/message

Usagi, while crossing a snow-covered mountain pass, comes across a little girl and her severely wounded father, the only survivors of a party attacked by bandits. It's rabbit against nature as the ronin attempts to usher them safely through the pass, in a snowstorm, stalked by predatory animals, with the threat of an avalanche literally above their heads! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/usagi-podjimbo/message

Sailor Noob is the podcast where a Sailor Moon superfan and a total noob go episode by episode through the original Sailor Moon series!The show must go on this week as we say goodbye to old friends and hello to new enemies! With Mamoru and Chibiusa gone, Usagi is doing her best to stay strong, but the appearance of new Sailors will have her asking: what is going on?In this episode, we discuss engagement and arranged marriage in Japan. We also talk about being more "mature", neo vs. post, pteruges, Something Hall, Expo Mako, a Chibi-less world, feline parenting, good screaming, birthday star deeds, sexist girls, budging skills, Rocky Rococo, malice blindness, fish bras, lying in the same grave, drier clams, accent assumptions, Hitch Inc., pulling a Roddenberry, pre-onsen, 747 hell, trivia, and getting a YOU going!What is THAT?We're on iTunes and your listening platform of choice! Please subscribe and give us a rating and a review! Arigato gozaimasu!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sailor-noob/id1486204787Answer this week's show question on Spotify!Become a patron of the show and get access to our live-action PGSM, Animedification, Utena, and Evangelion podcasts!http://www.patreon.com/sailornoobPut Sailor Noob merch on your body!http://justenoughtrope.threadless.comSailor Noob is a part of the Just Enough Trope podcast network. Check out our other shows about your favorite pop culture topics and join our Discord!http://www.twitter.com/noob_sailorhttp://www.justenoughtrope.comhttp://www.instagram.com/noob_sailorhttps://discord.gg/49bzqdpBpxBuy us a Kōhī on Ko-Fi!https://ko-fi.com/justenoughtrope

Usagi recounts the battle that cost Lord Mifune his life and, for the first time, reveals how he got the scar over his left eye. Nakamura Koji is on his warrior pilgrimage, honing his skill for the day that he can avenge himself on the one who bested him in a duel many years before. But he will never make it to that day unless he can defeat the Surudoi school of swordsmanship, who have ambushed him on this journey. In this fight, however, Koji will not be alone -- he is joined by Usagi Yojimbo --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/usagi-podjimbo/message

Sailor Noob is the podcast where a Sailor Moon superfan and a total noob go episode by episode through the original Sailor Moon series!The Sailor Senshi are trapped in Nehellenia's realm this week as Usagi falls under a mysterious and forgetful curse. Can her friends save her in time to rescue Mamoru from eternal servitude to the Dark Queen?In this episode, we discuss kitsune yokai, foxfire, Inari, kitsune nybob or "fox wife", kitsune gao or "fox face", kitsune possession, hoshi no tama or "star balls", and kitsune weddings. We also talk about yuriing on your own time, liking WILLOW, the shojo equivalent of shooting someone in the face, class action suits, DaiCon shenanigans, "Can Minako talk?", stoner torments, ESP DSL esq., letting your dangos down, sailor slacks, getting rid of "to be", reverse furries, magical boy creatures, and PG-13 foxes!Even naughty foxes can achieve enlightenmentWe're on iTunes and your listening platform of choice! Please subscribe and give us a rating and a review! Arigato gozaimasu!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sailor-noob/id1486204787Answer this week's show question on Spotify!Become a patron of the show and get access to our live-action PGSM, Animedification, Utena, and Evangelion podcasts!http://www.patreon.com/sailornoobPut Sailor Noob merch on your body!http://justenoughtrope.threadless.comSailor Noob is a part of the Just Enough Trope podcast network. Check out our other shows about your favorite pop culture topics and join our Discord!http://www.twitter.com/noob_sailorhttp://www.justenoughtrope.comhttp://www.instagram.com/noob_sailorhttps://discord.gg/49bzqdpBpxBuy us a Kōhī on Ko-Fi!https://ko-fi.com/justenoughtrope

We finally discuss Bryan's favorite character, Usagi Yojimbo, and the recent Space Usagi mini-series by Stan Sakai (Dark Horse Comics & Dogu Publishing). Plus Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, more West Coast Avengers, Tigra, Vinland Saga, Blue Beetle, Keith Giffen, Poison Ivy, and Avengers Twight (IDW, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Kodansha Comics)   Follow us on: Facebook: Comics Discourse 114 Instagram: ComicsDiscourse114 Threads: ComicsDiscourse114 Bluesky: @comicsdiscourse114.bsky.social Twitter: ComicsDiscourse  

Sailor Noob is the podcast where a Sailor Moon superfan and a total noob go episode by episode through the original Sailor Moon series!Sailor Noob is back for a new season of Sailor Moon as Usagi and friends begin their high school adventures! While Chibiusa gets stuck in the 20th century by a mysterious starfall, the Outer Senshi learn the hard way that trouble is brewing and some evils don't stay dead!In this episode, we discuss the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi. We also talk about Japanese semicolons, Sailor "R's". Juban Community College, Sailor bullets, cotton candy street pizza, crystalline cretins, getting more anime-e, negative space spoilers, getting sucked back to the future, eggplant simpzards, gilding Lily, dogs in the water, mooning your wiki, a wild engrishing, wax pencil math, and a befanged bastardess!RIP AKIRA TORIYAMAWe're on iTunes and your listening platform of choice! Please subscribe and give us a rating and a review! Arigato gozaimasu!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sailor-noob/id1486204787Answer this week's show question on Spotify!Become a patron of the show and get access to our live-action PGSM, Animedification, Utena, and Evangelion podcasts!http://www.patreon.com/sailornoobPut Sailor Noob merch on your body!http://justenoughtrope.threadless.comSailor Noob is a part of the Just Enough Trope podcast network. Check out our other shows about your favorite pop culture topics and join our Discord!http://www.twitter.com/noob_sailorhttp://www.justenoughtrope.comhttp://www.instagram.com/noob_sailorhttps://discord.gg/49bzqdpBpxBuy us a Kōhī on Ko-Fi!https://ko-fi.com/justenoughtrope

In this episode of Casual Chats, Patricia and special guest Victoria Johnson from The Sailor Moon Fan Club discuss about the three films based on the 1992 anime Sailor Moon. They consist of Sailor Moon R: The Movie, Sailor Moon S: The Movie, and Sailor Moon SuperS: The Movie. Sailor Moon R: The Movie has Mamoru reuniting with an old friend from his childhood named Fiore. Fiore wishes to have Mamoru as his only friend since they have both had a lonely and tragic upbringings, but sees that Mamoru has not only slightly forgot about him, but is dating Usaki. Thinking that Mamoru is being brainwashed by Usagi, Fiore, while in the control of a flower woman named Glycina, vows to cover the Earth with life draining flowers and keep Mamoru to himself. Sailor Moon S: The Movie has Luna being rescued and cared for by a young man named Kakeru after recovering from a fever and almost being run by a car. Luna starts to fall in love with him, but realizes that Kakeru is in love with an astronaut named Himeko. Meanwhile, a mysterious comet approaches with a snow princess named Kaguya wanting to freeze the Earth to add to her collection. It's up to the Sailor Guardians to stop her. Sailor Moon SuperS: The Movie focuses on Chibi-Usa meeting a fairy named Perle. He is part of a group of fairies under the rule of Queen Badiane who want to kidnap children to use their dream energy to create a black hole to swallow the Earth and trap people in dreams so that they can be happy. Chibi-Usa is kidnapped and Usagi, Perle, and the Sailor Guardians head to the Marzipan Kingdom to stop Queen Badiane. The Sailor Moon films were a modest success in Japan and are just as beloved as the series. Which film is the best? Listen and find out. Sailor Moon Moonlight Densetsu Cover is by RFBxProject ft. Minri. Click on the link below to check it out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_jNUGp3joI --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/old-school-lane/support

This month host Ed Moore shares his thoughts on Usagi’s journey as Sensei Sakai ilustrates it for us in Usagi Yojimb volume 3 from Dark Horse comics published October 2002.

January was harrowing, Bunheads. But we have NOT forgotten about you. February felt like a better time to swing back into our regular bi-monthly schedule!Devon & Beau discuss their 2023 holiday wrap-ups and cover Sailor Moon Season One Episode 19: "Usagi's Joy: A Love Letter from Tuxedo Mask." Plot holes, integrality, and mistaken identities...there's lots to unpack here. Send us your questions and comments on social media or email them to SailorTPodcast@gmail.com!Follow us on social media, Bunheads!Sailor T insta

Make sure to check the rest of the description for all of our social media and charity links, including our Patreon (patreon.com/DoNotRelent)!  Slidewhistle, Immunization, and Aaron have returned to the studio decked out in lace and pretty pink bows. The February Trading Post is here and it's brought a lot of new, fresh aesthetics that some might consider "a tad divisive." Gather your girls and get ready to vogue as hard as you can until Usagi decides to cry hard enough to unlock a new power- this one's gonna be an all-timer! Please send all your love mail, hate mail, and birthday wishes for Gary [LASTNAME] to @DoNotRelentPod (Twitter) or on gmail at DoNotRelentPod@gmail.com! We will respond to literally anything and read it on the pod. Find us at: Patreon: patreon.com/DoNotRelent Discord: donotrelent.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/donotrelent Twitter: twitter.com/DoNotRelentPod Livejournal: donotrelentpod.livejournal.com E-Mail: DoNotRelentPod@gmail.com Linktree: Linktr.ee/DoNotRelentpod Finally, if you feel so inclined, please rate us on iTunes and bonusroll.gg. We will take a shot on air in your honor! Every rating helps! :D

In this episode we review and discuss chapter 11 of The Jojolands... VIDEO LINK: https://youtube.com/live/_G9jbZ-qgHw

Happy holidays, we're back baby! In this week's episode, Usagi helps the Turtle Boys with an alarming turtle emergency and we discuss cults, Dragon Ball, and Betty's trip to Japan. Join our Patreon for bonus episodes: patreon.com/sailorbusiness

One more for ya just in time for the holidays, Bunheads! And this is what we would refer to as a "classique" episode of Sailor Moon. Covering episode 17 of the original 90's anime Sailor Moon, "Usagi's a Model: The Flash of the Monster Camera". Devon and Beau get in deep about the DiC dub of it all as well, as this is one of the 12 episodes featured on the original US DiC VHS release of Sailor Moon. Nephrite continues to be incredibly absent, but who cares when the Youma is such a baddie?? If you have any questions or thoughts about upcoming or past episodes you'd like us to address on the pod, sound off on social media!Happy Holidays to all who celebrate, Bunheads!! We love chatting Sailor Moon, and we hope y'all enjoy the conversation (and discourse and tangents ☺️)

Sailor Noob is the podcast where a Sailor Moon superfan and a total noob go episode by episode through the original Sailor Moon series!The other horseshoe drops this week as Pegasus's secrets are revealed! But there's no time to contemplate them when Usagi and Chibiusa finds their roles reversed...literally!In this episode, we discuss Himiko, Wa, Empress Jingu, and oni-do. We also talk about the Simple Jack cut, magical dream cancer, boob towers, Scrappy Doo-ing it, Chibi Usagi and Dai Chibi, drilling through rock bottom, dream giveaways, little moments of logic, candy lady balls, the sitcom plot of sci-fi, SBF on the stand, feeling like Apt Pupil, questionable situation fatigue, the Buzzsaw complex, and j'accusing yourself!The only way out is through!We're on iTunes and your listening platform of choice! Please subscribe and give us a rating and a review! Arigato gozaimasu!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sailor-noob/id1486204787Answer this week's show question on Spotify!Become a patron of the show and get access to our Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon live-action show and our Animedification podcast!http://www.patreon.com/sailornoobPut Sailor Noob merch on your body!http://justenoughtrope.threadless.comSailor Noob is a part of the Just Enough Trope podcast network. Check out our other shows about your favorite pop culture topics and join our Discord!http://www.twitter.com/noob_sailorhttp://www.justenoughtrope.comhttp://www.instagram.com/noob_sailorhttps://discord.gg/49bzqdpBpxBuy us a Kōhī on Ko-Fi!https://ko-fi.com/justenoughtrope

Well well well, Bunheads..what have we here? This week, Devon & Beau discuss episode 15 of Sailor Moon: "Usagi's Panic: Rei's First Date"! We then discuss other first dates, the appetizers at TGI Friday's, etc etc. We then, as always, rank this episode against our S.A.I.L.O.R. Score. Do you also have almost zero recollection of this episode from childhood? Let us know on (and follow us on!) social media!

Al and Codey talk about Usagi Shima Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:02:05: What Have We Been Up To 00:10:49: News 00:26:50: Usagi Shima 00:58:19: Outro Links Loddlenaut Release Date Ooblets Update Ikoeni Island Roadmap Spells and Secrets Release Content Out and About Kickstarter The Ranchers Release Update Usagi Shima Contact Al on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheScotBot Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript (30s) Al: Hello, farmers, and welcome to another episode of the harvest season. (34s) Al: My name is Al, and we are here today to talk about Cottagecore games. (36s) Codey: And my name is Cody. (38s) Codey: Whoo, you’re so low energy. (41s) Al: Woo. (43s) Al: (45s) Codey: Listeners, we were just like screaming at each other over the microphone talking about inconvenient humans. (46s) Al: Bye. (55s) Codey: The energy level is there somewhere. (56s) Al: Yeah, well, we just used it all up, that’s the problem. (1m) Codey: No, I still got more. (1m 4s) Codey: I can still I can still go. (1m 6s) Al: Well, you can always go for something, but you need to have something to actually rant about. (1m 12s) Al: Anyway. (1m 13s) Al: As always, transcripts are available for the podcast in the show notes and on the website, (1m 18s) Al: so go get them if you need them. (1m 22s) Al: episode we’re going to talk about. Let’s see if I can pronounce this. (1m 26s) Al: Usagi Shima. Usagi Shima. It’s a new mobile game. So of course, Cody had to be on because Cody is the mobile game. That’s the word, correspondent. I was like, “What’s the word, (1m 27s) Codey: That’s how I say usagi shima. (1m 37s) Codey: Correspondent, it me. (1m 39s) Codey: Yep. Yep. (1m 41s) Al: person? News person?” Yes, correspondent. That is a good one. So we’re going to talk about that. (1m 46s) Al: I suspect Cody has played more than me. We shall see. (1m 54s) Al: We’ve got a bunch of news to talk about. (1m 56s) Al: Thankfully Cody picked up some notes for the news that I had missed, (2m) Al: because apparently I wasn’t reading properly. (2m 3s) Al: So that’s good, we’ll get into all that. (2m 5s) Al: First of all, Cody, what have you been up to? (2m 8s) Codey: I have been, this month has been jam-packed full of insect stuff, whoo! (2m 13s) Codey: So at the beginning of the month there’s a class at my institution that’s like a collections class where they go out and they just camp for a weekend and collect insects the whole time and basically just like hike around and stuff and it was super fun. I got invited even though I’m not in the class anymore. I was in the class in 2020 and it was the plague and so the trip got canceled (2m 38s) Codey: so I was trying to like get, I had asked if I could go and initially had been told no because there’s a ton of students this year but then a bunch of the students bailed and so the professor was like it would be great to have someone that knows what the heck they’re doing. So I went on that and that was a lot of fun and then I actually went on another version of that for the entire (3m 1s) Codey: eastern branch of the Etymological Society of America. So we went out to Delaware and I wanted (3m 8s) Codey: to see horseshoe crabs and a velvet ant and I got to see both of those things. Other than that just doing my research we have next week we have I have an event an insect themed event and I’m also going to the state capitol to talk to legislators about insects conservation. So (3m 35s) Codey: not playing much. I have been playing. (3m 38s) Codey: I have been playing Usagi Shima, and a little bit of Pokemon Go. (3m 42s) Codey: I guess I haven’t. Have I been on since Go Fest? Because I went to Go Fest. (3m 46s) Codey: Yeah, so I went to Go Fest in New York City. That was a ton of fun. (3m 46s) Al: I don’t think so, no. (3m 50s) Codey: Oh, I am. For those who are sitting there wondering, where is my Tetris game? (3m 58s) Codey: Don’t worry. She’s still here. I’ll restart the number of episodes since Tetris game has been (4m 8s) Codey: back down to zero. I am at the Tetris game. I am at 346,000 points. (4m 9s) Al: The Tetris scam. (4m 15s) Codey: So I’m a third of the way through a million points to go on my cruise. (4m 20s) Codey: Oh, yeah, the points don’t reset. And then they have cruises. They have cruise dates that roll over. So when I get closer, when I have enough points, that’s when I’ll look and see. (4m 20s) Al: Awesome. And when’s the deadline for this one? (4m 22s) Al: Oh wait, you said the points. You said the points don’t reset. (4m 36s) Codey: and I’ll see you. (4m 38s) Codey: What cruise I want to go on or whatever and see if my partner wants to go with me and if not, I’ll find someone else. (4m 44s) Codey: So yeah, what about you? What are you going to do? (4m 45s) Al: Cool. Just to… you’d asked about when you were last… you were last on like… (4m 46s) Codey: Oh, you found all that yeah. (4m 55s) Al: Yeah, so it was like literally the episode came out just after New York, but we recorded a couple of days before, I think, didn’t we? So yeah, so you have not talked about that. Yeah, it was literally like you were like, “Oh, I need to do it on like the Wednesday or something, because I’m… (4m 56s) Codey: Yeah, so I haven’t talked about Go Fest then. (5m 8s) Codey: I recorded and then I left so Because I am taking a bus, yeah. (5m 15s) Al: I’m traveling.” And I’m like, “Fair enough. Fair enough.” It’s not like the news was going to get any more out of date, because it was the first one in five weeks that we’d recorded new. So that was not a problem. Anyway, yeah, what have I been up to? Mostly Pokémon. So I’ve been playing through the Pokémon DLC. So I do. I like it, yeah. But I liked the base game anyway. So it doesn’t fix any (5m 42s) Al: of the problems of the base game really but… (5m 45s) Al: I like the story, I like the characters, well, I hate the characters but I like the story, (5m 51s) Al: I like what they did with the characters, kind of. I have some issues anyway, (5m 57s) Al: we don’t need to get into the details of that. I like the new Pokémon and I like their just being a new… I like the new areas I feel personally quite nicely designed, I quite like it. (6m 11s) Al: And I’ve just been enjoying walking around catching Pokémon, so I have to… (6m 15s) Al: Done the DLC on one of my games, and I’ve just started it on my other game. (6m 19s) Al: So yeah, going well, enjoying it. (6m 20s) Codey: Yeah, I still have not finished. (6m 20s) Al: It’s literally the research part of the game though, like that is the bit that is you. (6m 23s) Codey: I still haven’t even gotten to areas here, so. (6m 27s) Codey: Yep. (6m 32s) Codey: It is. (6m 35s) Codey: So it’s the part I think where I’m stuck is I’m fighting Arvin and he keeps kicking my butt. (6m 42s) Codey: Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, I beat him. (6m 43s) Al: Ah… (6m 44s) Al: Delete 4. (6m 45s) Codey: And now I have to beat the four. (6m 47s) Codey: That’s where I’m at. (6m 50s) Codey: Yeah, and I hate that’s my least favorite part of all Pokemon games. (6m 50s) Al: Okay. (6m 51s) Al: I will say, I think I found Arvin more difficult as a battle. (6m 52s) Codey: Yeah, he was he I was face face bashing against him for a while because he was pretty difficult. (7m 2s) Codey: But now I’m at the Elite Four, but I just didn’t have the energy for it anymore. (7m 8s) Codey: And I have other stuff to do. (7m 11s) Codey: Yeah, like a PhD. (7m 12s) Al: Well, what stuff to do? What? (7m 14s) Al: Crazy idea. So yeah, mostly, I think just mostly Pokémon. I’ve played a couple of other things as well, but mostly I’m just kind of trying to get through Pokémon as much as possible before whatever the next game I’m meant to be playing is comes out. What am I meant to be playing there? (7m 18s) Codey: and be in. (7m 35s) Codey: Probably Manneco’s night market or something because that’s yeah, not very far from here. Oh You’re so excited are you excited? (7m 37s) Al: Yes, Maneko comes out on Wednesday. Yep. No, Tuesday. Tuesday. (7m 42s) Al: Not Wednesday. Oh, my word. Right. OK. I have, I think, I think I’ve given myself four days to play that game before we do the episode on it. (7m 54s) Codey: Four days off, oh, okay, no. (7m 54s) Al: No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. So we’ll see. I mean, like Tuesday hits and I start playing that game immediately. (7m 56s) Codey: Not days off, you don’t have days off. (8m 5s) Codey: Have you ever done that? Have you ever taken like one of games coming out like taking time off to focus on playing a game? (8m 10s) Al: So I… (8m 12s) Al: I haven’t, and the reason that I haven’t is because when you have kids, you take a day off and then you don’t spend it helping with the kids. (8m 23s) Codey: - Do it. - Yep. (8m 24s) Al: Like, it doesn’t really make much sense. (8m 27s) Al: So I haven’t. (8m 28s) Al: I like the idea of it, and I’m sure that I would do that at some point when the kids don’t need to be just looked after. (8m 37s) Al: And there isn’t always more cleaning to be doing or whatever. (8m 42s) Al: I mean, I’ve taken a day where I’m technically working and I maybe spend an hour working at the beginning of the day and then don’t for the rest of the day and just play the game. (8m 53s) Codey: Yep. (8m 54s) Al: But, of course not. If my employer’s listening, I’ve never done that. (8m 54s) Codey: Nope. (8m 58s) Al: Don’t know what you’re talking about. (9m) Al: Of course, of course, of course. (9m) Codey: Not your current employer. (9m 3s) Codey: That was with a previous employer. (9m 5s) Codey: It was different. (9m 5s) Codey: You’ve learned. (9m 6s) Al: Now, I would never do it with my current employer or any future employers. (9m 9s) Codey: No, you’ve learned. (9m 10s) Al: employers. (9m 10s) Codey: And I was going to say, I don’t do that as a PhD student, (9m 12s) Al: Yeah, I was gonna say you don’t play games on your day off, never mind days on. (9m 14s) Codey: but I genuinely don’t do that. (9m 16s) Codey: As a PhD, I can’t even be coy about it. (9m 18s) Codey: I just don’t do that. (9m 20s) Codey: Let’s be honest. (9m 21s) Codey: I have a day off right now I’m sleeping. (9m 23s) Codey: Yeah, I just sleep, I sleep, I take my dog to the dog park, I try and get caught up on cleaning. (9m 27s) Al: Like… (9m 34s) Codey: But no, I used to take like at least three days off whenever a World of Warcraft expansion came out. (9m 43s) Codey: And I would buy like a bunch of like microwave dinners so that I, it was like the minimum amount amount of time I had to spend away from the game. (9m 53s) Codey: I had a lot of fun with it. (9m 55s) Al: Nice. (9m 55s) Codey: I wish I could be that intense. (9m 56s) Al: Yeah, I suspect, like, I don’t think that being a streamer is an easy job at all. (9m 57s) Codey: Someone wants to pay me to play for the Warcraft. (10m 1s) Codey: It must be at least 40 grand. (10m 10s) Codey: Nope, nope. (10m 11s) Al: But part of me thinks it would be fun to do. (10m 16s) Al: Because even though it would be a lot of work, the then it’s like, oh, well, then I’m finished my work. (10m 25s) Al: I’m going to go and not play games. (10m 26s) Codey: Yep. (10m 26s) Al: It’s like you get to play all your games and then also have your time off. (10m 32s) Al: So that would be that would be fun. (10m 34s) Al: But I know that’s that’s not probably. (10m 38s) Codey: Probably not. (10m 40s) Codey: So yeah, uh, speaking of working, there’s… (10m 43s) Al: What? What? (10m 45s) Codey: We need to work on the news! (10m 46s) Al: Oh, that was painful. Please get better at that. (10m 52s) Al: The first piece of news is Laudelnot. So, Laudelnot, after I think quite a bit of silence, (11m) Al: they’ve not really said much since we first talked about them, but they are releasing on the 16th of November, because we don’t have enough games. (11m 10s) Codey: Didn’t we see them in like the one of the wholesome thingies? (11m 15s) Codey: And then yeah, we haven’t, (11m 16s) Al: Yeah. Yeah. I think, I think that was where we first saw them was the. (11m 20s) Codey: and then we haven’t really heard much after that. (11m 22s) Codey: But yeah, they do be coming out. (11m 25s) Codey: Though I was with their little axolotl. (11m 25s) Al: Yeah, with the Raxalottles. (11m 28s) Al: Ah, no, I didn’t notice that. (11m 30s) Codey: Oh my gosh, that’s why they’re called lottles. (11m 32s) Codey: Did you know that? (11m 37s) Codey: I didn’t either. (11m 37s) Codey: I literally just put that together. (11m 38s) Al: Wow, yeah, Lottle, cute. (11m 40s) Codey: Axolotl, solotl knot. (11m 42s) Codey: Oh my gosh. (11m 44s) Codey: I genuinely had not put that together. (11m 45s) Al: No, I hadn’t either. (11m 48s) Al: I was just like, oh, it’s just funny, funny word, man. (11m 50s) Codey: They’re cute little axolotls. (11m 52s) Codey: No, so it’s really cute. (11m 54s) Codey: In the trailer, they say that you can, (11m 57s) Codey: so you’re building up the world, (11m 59s) Codey: but then they say something like, (12m 1s) Codey: you get to care for them, feed them, and love them. (12m 4s) Al: No… (12m 4s) Codey: And I was like, you can’t make me love something. (12m 6s) Al: It said “you get to”, it said “get to”, it doesn’t say “have to”. You don’t even have to play the game. (12m 8s) Codey: You’re gonna tell me that I have to look. (12m 10s) Codey: I love something. I’m out. (12m 12s) Codey: It’s, I think it said… (12m 14s) Codey: No, it’s funny. (12m 16s) Al: Also, good luck not loving them. Look at their little faces. (12m 19s) Codey: Um, I don’t know. (12m 21s) Codey: Yeah, they are pretty f- (12m 24s) Codey: Look at their stupid little faces! (12m 26s) Codey: And some of their eyes, like, blink. (12m 28s) Codey: Uh, like flicker, light. (12m 30s) Codey: It’s like a little light. So cute. (12m 32s) Codey: So cute! (12m 33s) Codey: Yeah, so that’s coming out. (12m 34s) Al: It is coming out on Windows and Mac on Steam. I don’t think it’s coming on any console. (12m 35s) Codey: Uh, what is coming out on? (12m 40s) Codey: Very nice. (12m 49s) Al: I say I do have it listed as coming out on Switch, but. (12m 53s) Al: But I can’t see any mention of that anymore, so it may or may not be coming out on Switch. (12m 58s) Codey: doo doo doo (13m 3s) Al: I’m not sure we’ll find out in November. (13m 8s) Al: Next, we have Ooblets. (13m 10s) Al: So Ooblets is finally coming out on Steam. (13m 14s) Codey: Mm-hmm. (13m 15s) Al: So it’s releasing on Steam on the 5th of November. (13m 15s) Codey: Oh, did they say– (13m 20s) Codey: sorry, I’m interrupting. (13m 20s) Al: You know, you gotta go for an A. (13m 21s) Codey: 5th of November, woo. (13m 25s) Codey: I was just going to say, is it going to be on Mac? (13m 27s) Codey: Is it Mac also? (13m 31s) Al: No, however, it will work on the Steam Deck hopefully, because it does currently work on the Steam Deck when you install it from Epic, so hopefully that’ll actually work. (13m 43s) Codey: Okay. (13m 43s) Codey: Are you going to do, have you, you’ve already done an episode, right? (13m 48s) Codey: Yeah. (13m 48s) Al: We have done two episodes on it once. I did both episodes of it once. Well, stop playing the game. (13m 50s) Codey: I just didn’t know if you have been on it. (13m 52s) Codey: Okay. (13m 54s) Codey: So you need to stop. (13m 55s) Codey: That’s yeah. (14m 1s) Al: Are you trying to figure out who you’re going to get on the the second harvest of it? (14m 4s) Codey: Who could, who could do the sec? (14m 5s) Codey: Yeah. (14m 6s) Al: I’m sure we’ll, oh you need to get Johnny. That would be brilliant, yeah. (14m 6s) Codey: Who could do the second harvest with me. (14m 7s) Codey: Um, I got to get Johnny. (14m 13s) Codey: He can yell at it with me. (14m 14s) Codey: Um, yeah. (14m 16s) Codey: And so also in this update newsletter, whatever, um, they mentioned that they have a Halloween event update. (14m 24s) Codey: Um, and so everything’s going to get a spooky makeover townsfolk have costumes. (14m 29s) Codey: There’s a brand new event, limited Ooblet. (14m 32s) Codey: No idea what it is, but it has a ghost emoji. (14m 33s) Al: Ooh, do you mean, do you mean, “booblet”? (14m 36s) Codey: Ooh, boo, boo, boolet. (14m 37s) Al: No, not “boob”, no, no, no, “booblet”, that’s not a good one. (14m 43s) Codey: boolet, I don’t know. (14m 45s) Codey: We’ll see what it’s called. (14m 46s) Codey: So there’s a Halloween event. (14m 47s) Codey: Uh, it will run from October 1st through mid November, whatever that means. (14m 50s) Codey: Um, but it may get extended depending on how festive everyone is feeling is literally quotes what they said in the newsletter. (14m 55s) Al: S… (14m 58s) Codey: Um, and then they also show that, uh, there is another major content update version 1.4, um, that will bring little vehicles for your Ooblets to drive. (15m 8s) Al: What yeah, we saw a quick a quick animation we saw a couple months ago. It’s ridiculous (15m 8s) Codey: I believe that we’ve seen this before. (15m 10s) Codey: Like it looked like little monster trucks. (15m 13s) Codey: Yeah. (15m 14s) Codey: So they will be called Oobmobiles. (15m 16s) Codey: Uh, and they said that, uh, they’re not, not sure when, like not no exact date, (15m 22s) Codey: but quote, definitely before the end of the year. (15m 25s) Codey: Yeah. (15m 28s) Codey: Yeah. (15m 30s) Al: Ooh, that’s quite confident considering it’s already September. (15m 32s) Codey: Almost. (15m 33s) Codey: It’s almost over this month flew by it’s gone. (15m 34s) Al: Well, that’s a good point, yeah. Like, where did it go? It’s gone by. (15m 39s) Codey: flew by. It’s gone. (15m 44s) Al: Iconii Island have said they are still planning to exit their early access this year. (15m 55s) Al: they’ve updated their roadmap to confirm the one thing that they’ve done. (16m) Al: I always feel a little bit wary when someone says that something’s coming out in the next three months and they don’t give you a date, but we will see what happens. (16m 10s) Al: Spells and Secrets have updated their demo and their demo is now content complete. So if you have access to the game on Steam, you can play the whole game. So it’s just getting ready. (16m 30s) Al: If you do play this, your save game will not transfer over to the full version of the game. (16m 41s) Codey: Yep, it’s out, you can play it, well the demo’s out, you can play the demo and give them feedback but no save. (16m 50s) Codey: No save to the next, to 1.0, so you will lose all, whatever. (16m 57s) Al: And I don’t think the demo that you can download for free is the full content demo. (17m 4s) Al: I think you have to have had like the early access key that some people did. (17m 7s) Codey: That - was it the alpha people? (17m 10s) Al: Yeah, I think it was the Alpha people. (17m 18s) Al: Well, it would have been me, but apparently I selected the Switch version, not the Steam version. (17m 23s) Al: So I need to contact them and get that changed, because who knows when the Switch one will happen. (17m 30s) Al: Although, interestingly, I paid more money to get the Switch version. (17m 33s) Al: I mean, I don’t know how much time I’ve got. (17m 34s) Codey: You are not able to touch it and other people are touching it. (17m 38s) Codey: It’s like you’re sitting around doing nothing really. (17m 44s) Codey: I mean, you have no other things that you’re doing in your life. (17m 47s) Al: certainly not this year. Look, I mean, I have the rest of the year mapped out in what games I’m playing. The only thing I haven’t got mapped out is the last three weeks of the year, which I’m fully expecting to be taken up by the next Pokémon DLC. So there ain’t no more time this year! (18m 5s) Codey: You’ve heard it here folks. Don’t release any more games. We don’t have time Remember five years ago when we were like could you even have a farming game podcast? Well, they’re even what are you gonna talk about each week? (18m 11s) Al: Please no more games. No more games! (18m 22s) Codey: Correct other people yeah (18m 23s) Al: For what it’s worth, I never said that. (18m 25s) Al: Other people said that to me. (18m 27s) Al: And I was like, it’ll be fine, and oh look, it was fine. (18m 30s) Codey: Well, and I’ll tell people I’ll tell people I’m on a farming game podcast or cottage cork (18m 35s) Codey: and they’re like, wow, like, is that really that? I’m like, yes. (18m 37s) Codey: There, I could skip one episode and miss like, you guys could then talk about a new game. (18m 46s) Codey: Um, and I’d be like, I’ve never heard of this before. (18m 46s) Al: Like, where have you been, where have you been, we’ve been talking about this game for ages, what are you talking about? (18m 50s) Codey: And I’m like, I haven’t listened. (18m 54s) Codey: Speaking of a game that I didn’t know existed, but I’m really interested in, uh, out and about. (19m 3s) Al: which thankfully appears they’ve kind of changed the name. I’m a bit confused because the logo still says ‘wholesome out and about’, which is what it was originally called. Yeah, it’s this one, (19m 11s) Codey: Oh, it was that one. (19m 14s) Al: but now it just seems to be called ‘out and about’ except the logo still says ‘wholesome out and about’. (19m 18s) Al: So I’m a little bit confused as to what the name of the game is, but I’m just going to assume it’s just ‘out and about’ and I’m not going to say ‘wholesome’ anymore because ‘wholesome out and about’ is a stupid name. (19m 28s) Codey: Yes, that’s a little difficult, but out-and-about looks awesome I watched the little trailer that they have for it It’s basically a game where you’re foraging and then you can use the things you forage to cook but they are so when you look at a plant it say you have dandelion in front of you and then you have these like flash cards that you go through and you’re like, okay, like What how do I know what this plant is? (19m 53s) Codey: And then if you flip the dandelion flash card over it tells you exactly how you can, you know, it’s a dandelion. (20m 1s) Codey: So it has a hollow stem. (20m 3s) Codey: It’s got like a certain leaf structure. (20m 5s) Codey: It’s got the certain number of pedals. (20m 6s) Codey: Like it literally teaches you real life foraging things. (20m 11s) Codey: Like these are things that happen in real life and that you have to do in real life. (20m 15s) Codey: And the one thing that I super loved about this steam, uh, news, whatever that they put out, uh, is that they show you at least four or five different (20m 28s) Codey: who are foragers that worked to help them develop the game. (20m 32s) Codey: And they made these people NPCs in the game, which is just so cool. (20m 35s) Al: Yeah. Which is cool. Yeah. (20m 38s) Codey: Like, well, I was gonna, I was literally about to say, no one really does this. (20m 39s) Al: “Epico started a trend.” (20m 42s) Al: I mean, well, no, no. Just because it has happened once before doesn’t mean that the phrase “no one really does this” isn’t accurate. (20m 46s) Codey: And then I was like, wait, like, I don’t think I could say that. (20m 55s) Al: You didn’t say “nobody has done this”. It is true. No one really does this. Yes, “Epico did it with you”, but that’s it. (20m 57s) Codey: Yeah, yeah, yeah and still still also did a lot of good help with the butterflies part of it There was another there was another human. Um, but yeah, no Correct. I mean and that’s the thing is like if games can use the knowledge of other humans and then point to those other humans That is so cool to just say like we didn’t pull this out of our butts like here are the people that (21m 5s) Al: Right, okay, fair enough. But still, still, it’s not another game. (21m 21s) Al: Yeah. Yeah. (21m 23s) Al: It’s citing your sources. (21m 27s) Codey: Do the thing. Yeah, it’s literally Literally show the receipts. Where did you get the information? (21m 28s) Al: This is amazing. If the default in games ends up being like, “Your sources are NPCs in your game,” that would be great. (21m 44s) Codey: I would love that. (21m 45s) Codey: Um, I do love that and I would love that. (21m 48s) Codey: So yeah, they are out on Kickstarter now. (21m 51s) Codey: Uh, currently, Oh, go for it. (21m 51s) Al: Mm-hmm. They’re kick… I was just going to say I suspect what you were going to say, (21m 58s) Al: which is it’s almost hit his goal. It’s only a couple thousand off hitting its goal. (22m 2s) Al: And their estimated delivery is June 2024. Who knows whether that will be early access or not? (22m 9s) Codey: I’m here for it. (22m 13s) Al: Because you never know with Kickstarters because you’re like, “Oh, this is when the game’s coming out.” And then it ends up being early access half the time. Which is fine, just like say that’s what (22m 23s) Codey: Yeah. (22m 24s) Codey: I’m here for it. (22m 27s) Codey: I think it’s really cool if I had, (22m 29s) Codey: well, let’s see how much I can pledge. (22m 31s) Codey: I was gonna say, if I have the money, (22m 33s) Codey: I would totally do this, but I guess they only, (22m 33s) Al: They have a £3,500 tier. (22m 37s) Codey: yeah, that’s the money that I have. (22m 40s) Al: Design an NPC. (22m 41s) Codey: There’s a $70 one where you get a little basket. (22m 47s) Codey: Oh, it’s an in-game basket. (22m 48s) Codey: No. (22m 50s) Codey: I thought it was a real basket. (22m 51s) Codey: I got excited. (22m 52s) Codey: Design and outfit. (22m 54s) Codey: Okay. (22m 55s) Codey: So very cute game. (22m 56s) Codey: Looks real cute, excited about it. (22m 58s) Codey: Back at the end. (23m 1s) Al: Ah yeah. What’s next? Ah the ranchers! They have announced that their early access is coming next year now. I think they had planned to do it this year so now it’s happening next year. (23m 14s) Codey: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yup. Um, which is fine. We’re still looking at it. This was a game that was funded in less than 18 hours. Um, excuse me. Uh, and so it’s obviously well, well, (23m 16s) Al: It’s that time of year, the delaying time of year. (23m 35s) Codey: uh, long awaited. Most comments I’m seeing are people just saying, you know, it takes as long as it takes, please, like, do your, you know, there. (23m 44s) Codey: They’re not yet at the point where it’s like, give us your money back, or money back, cute cowards or anything like that. (23m 48s) Al: I also find that very rarely does that actually happen, even when people are late. Like, if you’re communicative and you’re transparent about these things, generally, unless you take like five years too late, then people are generally pretty understanding. It’s when you don’t communicate, that’s when people are like, “What are you doing? This is ridiculous.” (23m 55s) Codey: Yep. (24m) Codey: Re-legend! (24m 10s) Codey: Yeah. (24m 10s) Codey: Your bidet? (24m 11s) Al: Like my bidet. Oh, have you not listened to last week’s episode? Oh, this week’s episode in fact. (24m 16s) Codey: No. (24m 18s) Codey: It’s literally– that’s what I was– (24m 21s) Codey: I was finishing one thing that I was doing. (24m 25s) Codey: And then one podcast I was listening to about insect wings. (24m 28s) Codey: And then that was the next one. (24m 29s) Al: obviously. Somehow we ended up on this week’s episode talking about, or last week’s episode, (24m 30s) Codey: So yeah, because of that. (24m 33s) Codey: Because I’m all about insects right now. (24m 41s) Al: talking about the portable bidet that I kick-started, and people were very confused about it. (24m 46s) Codey: Oh, okay. (24m 48s) Al: Can I just clarify, because apparently people were confused. The point of this is to take two places that don’t have bidets, right? So like when you go on holiday, or when you’re going out to restaurants and stuff and then you. (24m 59s) Al: Have your bidet with you because not everywhere has a bidet. (25m 2s) Al: I do not have a bidet. (25m 2s) Codey: Do you have a bidet? (25m 3s) Codey: So this is like one that you could, could have at your house, but you could also put it elsewhere. (25m 11s) Codey: I think so. (25m 12s) Codey: Merka does not, is not a bidet friendly place. (25m 16s) Codey: I think there’s a lot of stigma about it. (25m 17s) Al: So, yeah, so this is also like, it’s a handheld battery powered thing, right? So you pour the water into it, you tighten it up, and it is a self-contained battery powered thing, (25m 30s) Al: right? So some people were a bit confused. You’re not plugging this into plumbing, right? (25m 34s) Al: Like it’s a handheld thing. It just looks like a large, like if you look at it physically, (25m 40s) Al: it looks like a large water bottle or something like that. No, no, that’s a bad, no, it doesn’t look like a washer bottle. (25m 47s) Al: I don’t know like a big thing a deodorant or something like that like it’s it’s kind of it’s very (25m 50s) Codey: Yeah, yeah, but then but then it’s upside down and you can. (25m 54s) Codey: Okay, I’m looking at stuff online, some options. (25m 59s) Al: Yeah, but I’m still 90% sure that the one that I backed was a scam. (26m 7s) Al: Anyway, that’s my point. (26m 7s) Codey: Yeah. That’s unfortunate. (26m 10s) Al: The thing is a scam because they don’t communicate, not because they’re late. (26m 14s) Al: Anyway, moving on from the bidet. (26m 17s) Al: I can’t believe we’re talking about bidets twice in a row on this podcast. (26m 20s) Codey: Welcome to bidet cast. (26m 26s) Codey: I don’t know. (26m 29s) Al: I’m trying so hard to think up some puns now. (26m 31s) Al: I’m not sure you have to use something to think up puns for something. (26m 32s) Codey: I don’t use bidet as enough. (26m 33s) Codey: It listeners. (26m 35s) Codey: If you have good bidet puns, please hit us up with those. (26m 37s) Codey: I don’t know. (26m 41s) Codey: Like I, what if I don’t understand what I’m like, I think I understand about a potato, so I don’t… (26m 46s) Al: I think you know what I think you understand. (26m 50s) Codey: But we are here to talk about, gosh, what did I call it? (26m 55s) Codey: When I emailed the developer, (26m 58s) Codey: I don’t remember what I called it, the game we’re playing. (27m 2s) Al: Usagi Shima? What are you talking about? (27m 3s) Codey: I emailed them and I said, (27m 5s) Al: Aha. (27m 8s) Codey: “Thank you for making adorable bunny collection game.” (27m 13s) Codey: So I was having a notification every time I opened the game and they helped me fix it, so. (27m 21s) Al: Well, I mean, it’s so on the app store, it is now called Isagishima cute id. (27m 27s) Codey: Yeah, no, I just like the Sagashima. (27m 29s) Codey: Um, so this is a game, uh, Al wrote down cats. (27m 35s) Codey: Don’t know why he wrote down cats. (27m 36s) Codey: I just left it there cause I was like, I don’t know if you wanted to talk about cats. (27m 37s) Al: I don’t know why did I do that? It’s not cats, it’s bunnies! (27m 41s) Al: I don’t know, they’re all just animals. Bunnies, they are no evidence. (27m 47s) Codey: They’re all buddies, but, uh, from their website, uh, quote, you’ve (27m 57s) Codey: been tasked as caretaker of an abandoned island as you decorate and rebuild it over time, curious, but adorable visitors start to appear. (28m 4s) Codey: Usagi Shima is a casual, relaxing bunny collecting game developed by Godot engine and drawn in Krita. (28m 10s) Codey: Uh, it is heavily inspired by cute soothing games like Neko Atsume and Animal Crossing. (28m 16s) Codey: The game’s namesake and setting draws inspiration from, uh, Okunoshima, a real island in Japan that has a lot of bunny inhabitants. (28m 25s) Al: Interestingly, I was actually looking up Godot, the engine, because of the whole nonsense around Unity, because it’s a game engine like Unity or Unreal. I was just like, “Oh, I wonder if this is finally where Godot will become popular, and wouldn’t it be funny if capitalists becoming more greedy, pushes people to an open source game engine. (28m 36s) Codey: Right. (28m 55s) Al: That would be great. And then I went to look, say, have they got any decent games using it yet? (29m 1s) Al: And one of them was a Sagishima right on the main website for Godot, which is funny. (29m 9s) Al: There were a few others as well. Oh, yes, a cassette beast is in Godot. And a most extraordinary gnome is in Godot. Cruelty Squad is in Godot. And there’s lots of others, but those are just the the ones that kind of people might know. (29m 25s) Al: I just thought it was funny. It’s actually the first one they’ve got listed on their showcase is Usagi Shima. That’s good. (29m 30s) Codey: That’s so funny It’s I mean it it is a cute game Okay, so I guess that was oh I just also want to just say so the name Usagi Shima I guess it’s coming from Okunoshima is a rabbit island Which I googled Okunoshima, and it’s just an island that has a metric hectone of bunnies And you can like play with the bunnies and stuff and super cute (29m 36s) Al: Yep. (30m) Codey: It’s a island in Japan Yeah, if you just look up Okunoshima, it’s adorable and Usagi is Japanese for rabbit, so this is rabbit and then kind of playing towards (30m 27s) Codey: island yeah so usagi shima is just rabbit island (30m 31s) Al: I just, I couldn’t not think about the Friends episode with Unagi when you said Usagi. Unagi. (30m 37s) Codey: I don’t know if I’ve ever watched that one I’ve watched it a lot of friends but (30m 41s) Al: Oh, it’s a ridiculous episode where Ross decides that he suddenly knows this martial art called Unagi. But Unagi just means fish. So he’s like… (30m 53s) Codey: Yeah? (30m 53s) Codey: Yeah. (30m 58s) Codey: That is goober. (31m 1s) Al: Oh, it’s fantastic. (31m 5s) Codey: So I guess like first, before we like really, really jump into this game, what are your thoughts? (31m 9s) Codey: Oh, like base– (31m 11s) Codey: when you first opened the game, how’d you feel? (31m 12s) Al: So I felt a little bit, ironically, a little bit overwhelmed when I first opened it, and let me explain why. So this does a thing that I think probably appeals to a lot of people, but really stresses me out, which is where you’ve got “here’s big empty space” and “here’s tutorial that tells you how to do some stuff” and now “good luck” and you’re like “oh my word” like I don’t… (31m 32s) Codey: Mm-hmm. (31m 42s) Al: It feels like a lot to me, and part of my problem is that I like games that tell you “here’s some things to do” and it’s like, it does give you some of that. So it’s got like a daily task list and it obviously has achievements and stuff like that, but like yeah I just felt a little bit directional-less, if that makes sense. But I think a lot of people probably… (32m 7s) Codey: Yeah. (32m 12s) Al: appreciate that, right? Like there’s no kind of like forcing you to do anything, (32m 17s) Al: there’s just decorating and bunnies, and lots of people like that. So what about you? What did you (32m 22s) Codey: Yep. Yeah, I will. (32m 29s) Codey: First thing I opened this game, I was like, this is adorable. (32m 34s) Codey: It is so cute and like the artwork is so. (32m 40s) Codey: Calming and like the way that everything is is animated and the color scheme that they use, like it’s all there’s nothing abrasive (32m 53s) Codey: going around your island and looking at everything like it’s all really calm colors. (32m 57s) Codey: And there’s no like I kind of like that. (33m 1s) Codey: There’s no direction slash no. (33m 4s) Codey: Nothing like there’s no consequences, I guess, is another thing. (33m 10s) Codey: Because you can always just do stuff tomorrow. (33m 13s) Codey: There’s not really anything like if you miss something that you’re going to miss out on, there’s no FOMO with this game, (33m 19s) Codey: Which is great for me because if I do something like… (33m 22s) Codey: Go play or go try and find bugs for an entire weekend and not touch the game at all I don’t have a problem whereas like I didn’t get to play Tetris that whole weekend and I was like Oh, I missed out on like all of those points So yeah, I really enjoyed it I really like the artwork the music is good too, but I am a chronic turn music offer I don’t really listen to audio in any game (33m 34s) Al: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. (33m 50s) Codey: because it distracts me. (33m 52s) Codey: So I have all the audio off. (33m 52s) Al: » Yeah. Same. (33m 54s) Codey: I will say within a day, (33m 56s) Codey: within probably like a couple hours of trying the game and then I pick it back up and try it again. (34m 2s) Codey: I don’t even think I had gotten an advertisement yet, (34m 5s) Codey: but I went in and paid money to turn off ads and support the developer, like pretty quickly. (34m 12s) Al: Yeah, it’s definitely pretty cheap and pretty worth. (34m 12s) Codey: Well, it’s free, but then you can spend that money to just, (34m 16s) Al: That’s what I mean, sorry. (34m 18s) Codey: to just, yeah, yeah. (34m 19s) Al: Sorry, that’s what I mean. (34m 20s) Al: It’s pretty cheap to get rid of the ads and stuff, which is pretty good. (34m 26s) Al: That, you know, I always feel like when I download a free game and they’ve got like, oh, hey, pay like three quid to do this. (34m 34s) Codey: Yeah. Yeah, exactly. (34m 35s) Al: I’m like, well, yes, yes, I will, you know, (34m 38s) Codey: Mm hmm. Mm hmm. (34m 39s) Al: because like how much time am I gonna save? (34m 42s) Al: Clicking that and they immediately get more money than they will ever get from me in ads, so it’s a win-win, you know? (34m 48s) Codey: Yep. Well, and I was just like, you know, I think this game is super cute. (34m 53s) Codey: I can throw down like the minimum that they have is three ninety nine. (34m 56s) Codey: But you can do more. (34m 59s) Codey: So I think I ended up doing like seven dollars because I had I had. (35m 2s) Codey: I looked at my bank I was like I could. (35m 4s) Codey: Do I can do $7 like I can just double double what they suggest and just continue to enjoy playing this game. The only other thing that you can buy is the currencies which I don’t know about you I get I get enough I don’t need to buy any. So that is really nice like a lot of mobile games will just try and throw things in your face to try and get you to spend money. But this one did not do that and I really I don’t. (35m 34s) Codey: I feel pressured to spend money. (35m 36s) Codey: Um, you do also, if you pay for the ad removal, you get a double reward bonus. (35m 41s) Codey: So all rewards are double are automatically doubled. (35m 44s) Codey: Um, which I didn’t, I was like, Oh, that’s a bonus because I wasn’t even, I just didn’t. (35m 49s) Al: You weren’t even noticing that, yeah. (35m 50s) Codey: I just didn’t want to add, like, that was the one thing. (35m 54s) Codey: Cause I’ve, my Tetris game has so many. (35m 56s) Codey: Um, yeah. (35m 59s) Codey: So artwork, what do you, what do you think of the artwork specifically? (36m 3s) Al: Oh yeah, definitely. I could easily grab some screenshots of this and stick it as my wallpaper. (36m 12s) Al: It’s really nice. It’s the sort of thing that I should see whether… It’s just really pleasing to have it just on something. I’m really tempted to see… (36m 31s) Al: and just have it sitting there, looking nice and bunnies waddling around. (36m 38s) Al: But, yeah, no, it looks really good. (36m 40s) Al: I was the same with the sound. (36m 41s) Al: Like, it sounds nice, but, yeah, I don’t have game sound, right? (36m 46s) Codey: Yep. (36m 46s) Al: Like, I listen to podcasts too much to be able to deal with that. (36m 47s) Codey: Yep. (36m 51s) Al: So that’s, yeah, that’s not my thing. (36m 55s) Al: But it is very nice. (36m 56s) Al: you like, if you like, what’s the word I’m looking for? (37m) Codey: If you want the audio on, it’s not bad audio, it’s not glaring, it’s not obnoxious, so. (37m 1s) Al: If you like, then it’s good. (37m 3s) Al: Yep. (37m 7s) Codey: The next thing that we can talk about is obviously the buns, the bubbies, the bunny bunnies. (37m 10s) Al: Bunny bunnies. (37m 16s) Codey: There are 30 unique bunnies and they each have their own personality. (37m 20s) Codey: I mean, some of them might have like overlapping personalities. (37m 23s) Codey: Like if I look in my thing right now, Tomo has a polite personality and Button has a shy personality. (37m 30s) Codey: And Yuki has warm, so like, I guess they all do have, oh no, there’s another shy. (37m 36s) Codey: Peaches is another shy bunny. (37m 38s) Codey: Um, so they all have their own personality, they all have their own favorite toys that they enjoy playing with that you can populate your island with. (37m 47s) Codey: And then if you befriend them to a certain level, they’ll also give you a keepsake. (37m 51s) Codey: Um, which is really cute, and then you can put that in the island and then they can interact with it or other bunnies can interact with it. (37m 58s) Codey: Um… (38m) Codey: And then if you befriend them high enough, then you can invite them to be a permanent resident on your island. (38m 4s) Codey: Um… Al, have you… How many of the buns have you encountered? (38m 9s) Codey: You’ve only seen two bunnies? Okay, okay, okay. (38m 10s) Al: Uh, not very many, uh, like two. (38m 14s) Al: Look, look, look, right. (38m 18s) Codey: Yep. Yep. Yep. (38m 18s) Al: See, this is where, see you end at the beginning. (38m 19s) Al: See you at the beginning. (38m 20s) Al: When I said you’ll almost certainly have played more of this game than me. (38m 22s) Codey: Yep. Yep. (38m 24s) Al: I was not joking. (38m 25s) Al: See, see, there we go. (38m 26s) Codey: I have encountered 24 of the bunnies. (38m 28s) Codey: bunnies. (38m 29s) Al: Very different, very, very different. (38m 31s) Al: Um, so, I mean, so like it’s not because this game is bad, right? (38m 37s) Al: Like I think if people remember the garden gallery– (38m 40s) Al: say episode that we did, me and Kevin. It’s very similar to that, in that it’s a really nice game for laying things out and designing a garden and putting all these things out, but I just don’t get it. It doesn’t do anything for me and therefore I find it really hard to push through and actually do something about that. (39m 4s) Codey: Yeah, yeah, that’s that’s fair. So I’ve definitely played more than you know, so the bunnies they also visit like visually look different like some of them don’t look that much different like there’s a decent amount of them that are black and white with black ears and a black snoot maybe some black Pete’s and then maybe some spots everywhere but there’s like maybe like five or six that have that but there are some that have like floppy ears. (39m 34s) Codey: There are some that have really short ears. There’s a really fluffy one that I have named. Oh my gosh, I accidentally closed it out. Mofu. He has glasses as well. Very cute. Moose has antlers. Yuzu and Yuki both have looks like leaves took me second to remember what the word leaf was. (39m 55s) Al: It’s all right, it’s not like you have anything to do with nature. (40m 1s) Codey: No, not at all. Not that I have to know that at all. (40m 4s) Codey: Not that I was just literally picking leaves out of something. (40m 7s) Codey: My favorite is… my couple of favorites are Tiger. (40m 14s) Codey: He’s like a red and he or they… I don’t think they have genders. (40m 19s) Codey: They are a black and orange. Very cute. (40m 25s) Codey: And then I like Celeste just because she has a celestial name. (40m 29s) Codey: She’s also a mostly black bun with bright blue eyes. (40m 34s) Codey: And then I can’t pick another one. I love them all. (40m 37s) Codey: Honestly, those are just the two that stand out. (40m 40s) Codey: I do like Yuzu. Yuzu’s orange. (40m 42s) Codey: Um… (40m 44s) Al: They do definitely have very good designs, like I’ve looked a lot of it up online, even though I haven’t had the patience to play through the game. So yeah, they are all really good designs, (40m 55s) Al: and I feel like they’re different enough, but also not like “this is clearly a dog”. You know, (41m 5s) Codey: Yep. (41m 5s) Al: like they’re all clearly bunnies, but different enough that you feel like there’s a worthwhile thing to try and collect. (41m 14s) Al: And I liked them all, if you will. I mean, you’re not, like, capturing them. They just visit you. (41m 18s) Codey: No, they just, they just come, it’s like animal crossing, they come to your island. (41m 22s) Codey: And then you can ask some of them to always be on your island versus just visit. (41m 27s) Codey: Like right now I probably have 15 bunnies on my island because I have like many things for them to be doing. (41m 36s) Codey: So they’re all spread out over my island right now. (41m 41s) Codey: So yeah, that’s the buns. (41m 45s) Codey: And then you build up their friendship by doing the tasks. (41m 48s) Codey: So either by filling your island with toys and decorations, which we’ll talk about later, (41m 54s) Codey: or they might ask you to do something with them. (41m 58s) Codey: So the five main ones are either to pet them, to brush them, to take a photo of them, (42m 5s) Codey: to play hide and seek with them, or to feed them. (42m 8s) Codey: And each of these things, like right now I can see two of my bunnies have little photo, little cameras above their heads. (42m 18s) Codey: And one of them is watering the garden right now, so I’m going to take her picture real quick. (42m 26s) Al: Oh dear. (42m 28s) Codey: I have such a problem. (42m 29s) Al: They’re just watering, let them water in peace. (42m 32s) Codey: Oh, and the other one’s like napping by the gordon. (42m 36s) Codey: Oh, I’m so cute. (42m 38s) Codey: And so every time you fulfill one of those tasks, you get hearts from you. (42m 48s) Codey: And you get some currency, and it just kind of – that’s literally it, is that you get to know them more. (42m 58s) Codey: The little mini games that you have with it is really cute. (43m 1s) Codey: So like brushing, for example, it zooms in on the animal, on the bunny. (43m 5s) Codey: You grab the brush, and then you just go back and forth over the bunny. (43m 10s) Codey: You scrub a dub dub. (43m 12s) Codey: And then the other one is the same feeding, they come out into this little extra – (43m 18s) Codey: another screen, and you just see that one bunny, and you pour food into a bowl, and it eats. (43m 26s) Codey: Taking pictures, literally just taking a picture of them. (43m 29s) Codey: I did run out of camera space, like you only have – you can only save like so many photos. (43m 36s) Codey: And I am devastated because – oh, you can move it to their album. (43m 42s) Codey: Oh my god, oh my gosh, is that now in Tiger’s album? (43m 48s) Codey: Okay. (43m 51s) Codey: So if you take a photo – you have a photo album, but then you can go – so I can like say, (43m 56s) Codey: like, oh, I want to move this photo of Lulu next to a sandwich to Lulu’s album. (44m 2s) Codey: And then it gets – and then I have more space. (44m 5s) Codey: But the picture – I have to go to like Lulu’s bunny page in the bun book. (44m 12s) Codey: It’s like Facebook bun book. (44m 14s) Codey: Go into the bun book. (44m 16s) Codey: Oh my gosh, I’m gonna– (44m 17s) Al: One book could be so many times. (44m 19s) Codey: It could. (44m 21s) Codey: Well, I’m gonna do this forever now because I was like why do I always run out of space like so many buns? (44m 31s) Codey: So yeah, those are the different tasks. Which– do you have a favorite or anything? Do you like the tasks? Do you find them? (44m 38s) Al: task. I mean, the hide and seek is kind of cute, because they just suddenly go and hide somewhere and you have to find them. I’m not sure I find any of them particularly fun, (44m 56s) Al: but they’re fine. I mean, in terms of like, you know, it’s just a bit more cute sort of thing, you know. So maybe that one, yeah. I just got two more bunnies. (45m 7s) Codey: Which two, which two? (45m 8s) Al: I’ll tell you once I’ve finished watching this ad to double the reward that I was getting for something. Yep, yep, I do. I just haven’t done it yet, because I haven’t, because, well, (45m 15s) Codey: Oh, yeah, see you just got a– (45m 22s) Al: this is on my iPad, right, which is different from my phone one. Let’s see what we got. (45m 24s) Codey: You’re right, you’re right, you’re right. (45m 29s) Al: What are these two? Bun, bun, bun. Button. And that one. Lulu. (45m 32s) Codey: Mm-hmm, very cute. (45m 39s) Al: They both went onto the same thing, so it’s like a little stump thing that one can go inside and one on top of, and they both came at the same time onto that one. It was to start with, and then after, how do you do it? (45m 47s) Codey: And the one inside is, uh, it’s a little butt sticking out, right. (45m 51s) Codey: Or is, but that’s the one cool thing is like, they, I guess we can talk about the decorations and toys that they play with like, like the stump that it’s not just one way that they can use the stump. (46m 7s) Codey: Like they can be in face first. (46m 9s) Codey: They can be in, but first they can be on top of the stump. (46m 14s) Codey: They can have a bunch of different… (46m 16s) Codey: Um… (46m 17s) Codey: …like positions that they’re on. (46m 19s) Codey: So even if you only have like the one decoration, it’s pretty heckin’ cute. (46m 24s) Al: Yeah. And the decorations are pretty cheap, right? Like, you can buy like three or four or five to start with, like, as soon as you start the game easily. So there’s lots of different options. And all the animations are very cute, right? Because you’ve got like the one when it’s like lying on top of the beach ball, just kind of rocking backwards (46m 49s) Codey: got, because I befriended one of them, I got a ramen noodle container and there’s a bunny sitting in the ramen noodle container and I am dying on the inside. Look at how cute you are. So yeah, there’s a bunch of different decorations. A bunch. You only get access to nine. (46m 57s) Al: Obviously. Don’t eat it. Don’t eat it. (47m 14s) Al: a bunch. Yeah. (47m 19s) Codey: Nine at a time. Yeah. Nine at a time. Um, I don’t know. Oh, it resets. Uh, (47m 24s) Codey: it says it’s going to reset at 18, 18, 1800. How do you say that? (47m 28s) Al: I think I… (47m 29s) Al: Well, I mean, you can see it’s 6 p.m. if you want. (47m 30s) Codey: Okay. (47m 36s) Codey: That’s fine. It’ll reset at 6pm. So, uh, but I already like looking at this, (47m 40s) Codey: I already have all of these things, uh, all the toys. (47m 44s) Codey: And I don’t think there’s a benefit to having more than one of the same type on (47m 49s) Al: Well, it’s just it’s more spaces for bunnies to come, right? (47m 52s) Al: Like if you’ve run out of spaces for bunnies or whatever. (47m 55s) Al: All right. (47m 55s) Codey: - Yeah, I haven’t. (47m 56s) Codey: So there’s toys. (48m 3s) Codey: And those are things that your bunny will interact with. (48m 8s) Codey: Also though, in the quote unquote toy category is like lights, things that you can use to light up your island. (48m 15s) Codey: Even though I don’t really light up that much of your island. (48m 18s) Codey: So they’re like just lights up the immediate area around the thing. (48m 19s) Al: Yeah, I mean, let’s be honest, that’s this whole game, it’s just anesthetic. (48m 22s) Codey: It just kind of like is aesthetic, I think. (48m 25s) Codey: And my brain is chaos. (48m 27s) Codey: You’re right, you’re right. (48m 29s) Codey: No, no, you’re right. (48m 30s) Codey: And then there’s decorations. (48m 33s) Codey: So these are things that you could use like trees and stones and I have mushrooms and a monstera that I can buy right now. (48m 42s) Codey: And then there are, gosh, I don’t know how to, (48m 47s) Codey: what to call these, what did I call them? (48m 49s) Codey: Buildings. (48m 50s) Al: Yeah, they’re structures, so it’s like houses or ponds. (48m 53s) Codey: So like. (48m 55s) Codey: Yeah, so I have the pond, the garden, the bridge, (48m 59s) Codey: the ramen shop, the cafe, the house, the, it’s another house. (49m 6s) Codey: The hot spring, have you seen the hot spring little bath? (49m 12s) Codey: It’s a little bath that they can

Jonnie and Kev talk about Smushi Come Home Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:03:40: What Have We Been Up To 00:10:43: News 00:27:36: Smushi Come Home 00:39:13: Spoilers For Smushi Come Home 00:56:09: Outro Links Coral Island Merfolk and Fall Update Spirit of The Island DLC Research Story 0.5 Update Research Story Roadmap My Time at Sandrock Trailer Haunted Chocolatier Screenshot Usagi Shima Smushi Come Home on Steam Smushi Come Home on Switch Contact Al on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheScotBot Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript [00:00.000 –> 00:11.440] 2. [00:11.440 –> 00:36.800] Hello farmers, welcome to the harvest season where we talk about cottagecore games, should [00:36.800 –> 00:39.920] we still call them farmers if we’re going off that rant? [00:39.920 –> 00:44.240] Yes, yes, we’ve covered this many times, but they’re still farmers, definitely still [00:44.240 –> 00:49.680] farmers. Except for that one month when they weren’t farmers and they were anglers. [00:49.680 –> 00:55.040] Yeah, that’s true. I’m trying to think, where’s the Venn diagram not overlap of farmers and [00:55.040 –> 00:58.480] cottagecore? I’m guessing like, big industrial factory farmers? [01:01.280 –> 01:05.200] Um, alright, hi, I’m Kevin, and this is Johnny. [01:05.840 –> 01:06.340] Hi. [01:07.280 –> 01:12.880] We’re here to, yeah, the cottagecore, I said that already, um, Al’s not here so you know, [01:12.880 –> 01:17.120] this is going off the rails already. I really want a cottagecore industrial [01:17.120 –> 01:24.240] farming game, I bet someone can make it happen. I mean, Let’s Build a Zoo has that option. [01:26.160 –> 01:28.640] There we go, already solved, it’s already out there. [01:28.640 –> 01:36.800] It’s already on the way, um, gosh, what was that Pokemon knockoff game that was putting [01:36.800 –> 01:42.720] them in a factory, I had to look it up, I can’t remember, there was some Pokemon knockoff that [01:42.720 –> 01:47.760] kind of had cottagecore vibes, but then there was this weird bit where they were also in factories [01:47.760 –> 01:53.040] and being put to work, and I don’t know. So I had this, I was thinking about this [01:53.120 –> 01:56.080] the other day, this is like, we’re already way off the rails, but I need to share this. [01:56.800 –> 02:00.320] When you, in Pokemon, you send, you know, you send your Pokemon to the professor when you’re [02:00.320 –> 02:04.080] kind of getting rid of them now, that’s the sort of established thing, and I was thinking like, [02:04.080 –> 02:10.720] what does the professor do with them? And my current theory is that the professors are actually [02:10.720 –> 02:16.320] eating the Pokemon, so they’re like chefs, because like, they’re not, they don’t have space to store [02:16.320 –> 02:21.520] all of them, like they’re not storing them, so my theory is that they’re trying to cook the Pokemon. [02:22.080 –> 02:28.960] I mean, I’m pretty sure the popular theory early on in Go was they get grinded down to make the [02:28.960 –> 02:34.800] candies. See? Maybe that’s how, maybe so in the games where you just send them to the professor, [02:34.800 –> 02:39.680] it’s so that they could develop the candy making process. Yeah, there you go, it works, [02:40.240 –> 02:46.560] that’s, and that’s, that’s how they get stronger, like, it has all the nutrients they need, [02:47.280 –> 02:53.680] on the other ones. And also strong cannibalism overtones. Yep, there you go. Ah, so, [02:54.800 –> 02:59.760] yeah, welcome to our, uh, there’s the official harvest season stance on cannibalism. [03:01.200 –> 03:05.600] Well, actually, it probably won’t be the last time that cannibalism comes up this episode. [03:05.600 –> 03:10.640] No, wait, what, this episode? This episode! I was about to say, in general, no, but okay, [03:11.360 –> 03:14.640] all right, I mean, it’s not the first time cannibalism has come up either, [03:15.360 –> 03:23.360] um, called the little lamb had cannibalism as an option, um, all right then, um, uh, so we’re gonna, [03:23.360 –> 03:29.760] you know how we do, we’re talking about the news and stuff, and, uh, a game with, uh, well, I don’t, [03:29.760 –> 03:34.720] I don’t think, I can’t recall any cannibalism in it, uh, Smooshy Come Home, um, that’s our [03:34.720 –> 03:41.360] featured game of the day, um, and, uh, yeah, we’ll get to that later, um, but before that, [03:41.360 –> 03:45.920] Johnny, what have you been up to? What have I been up to? Uh, so Cassette Beasts, [03:45.920 –> 03:49.840] uh, I think I talked about last time I was on the podcast, I love Cassette Beasts, uh, [03:49.840 –> 03:53.360] I’ve pretty much done everything there is to do in Cassette Beasts, but there’s, like, [03:53.360 –> 03:56.800] I really enjoy the shiny hunting, um, in that game, which they call bootlegs, [03:57.360 –> 04:03.760] um, and they’ve got some DLC that’s coming out soon, um, I don’t know what’s in it, like, [04:03.760 –> 04:08.400] I, I very explicitly, like, try not to look at what’s in these sorts of things, because I just [04:08.400 –> 04:15.040] want to be excited and experience it, um, so I’m very excited to play even more Cassette Beasts. [04:15.920 –> 04:22.560] Well, I mean, I’m, so I’ve, uh, I will be getting to Cassette Beasts very soon, I have, [04:22.560 –> 04:29.120] uh, been whittling away at, uh, my life and organizing things to get to that point, um, [04:29.120 –> 04:35.280] I think I’ll play the, the Scarlet Violet DLC to hurt myself, and then I’ll feel better when [04:35.280 –> 04:39.680] I play Cassette Beasts. I’m like, oh, that, that’s what it should be. I don’t even know, [04:39.680 –> 04:44.640] like, when the Scarlet Violet DLC is coming out. I’m pretty sure it’s this week. Nor do I care. [04:44.640 –> 04:48.320] Yeah, that’s fine. Because the other game that I’ve been playing, which is gonna suck up all [04:48.320 –> 04:53.440] of my time, is Starfield. More like Snorefield, am I right? And that’s not true, I’ve heard it’s [04:53.440 –> 05:00.400] decent, actually. So Starfield is, uh, I guess before I say anything else, I think a lot of the [05:00.400 –> 05:05.280] commentary online is kind of just terrible and overly negative. That being out of the way, [05:05.280 –> 05:11.280] I found getting started with Starfield difficult, like, it lacked kind of the thing I like most [05:11.280 –> 05:16.480] about games like Skyrim, where, you know, you kind of get the, the world that opens up to you, [05:16.480 –> 05:21.520] and you can kind of just pick a direction and walk in that direction and find stuff and do stuff. [05:21.520 –> 05:27.520] The space travel aspect makes it a lot harder to do that, so I actually got kind of like [05:27.520 –> 05:33.520] five or six hours in, and then I made the call to restart, and that was a really good call, [05:33.520 –> 05:38.000] because I kind of knew how all of the systems worked, I kind of knew what I wanted to [05:38.560 –> 05:44.240] start my character off as, and I kind of found a bunch of things that I’d skipped over the first [05:44.240 –> 05:48.000] time, because I kind of just, like, I was just trying to work stuff out, and I didn’t really [05:48.000 –> 05:52.320] know that certain things were there or that I could interact with certain things, and so I’ve [05:52.320 –> 05:57.120] been really enjoying it kind of since I restarted and kind of have a better idea for what I’m doing, [05:57.120 –> 06:03.200] and, yeah, really feel like it’s, like, if you like Bethesda games, you will probably like this [06:03.200 –> 06:09.760] Bethesda game, but it does take a little bit more to get into, I think, than the likes of Skyrim. [06:10.640 –> 06:13.280] Is it Skyrim in space? Is that what it feels like? [06:14.160 –> 06:19.680] Yes, so to me it feels more Skyrim than space than, like, closer to Fallout, because I’m not [06:19.680 –> 06:24.960] really a Fallout fan, I don’t particularly like the combat in Fallout, I don’t particularly [06:25.680 –> 06:36.080] like Fallout as a world, where I find, like, Starfield to me feels more Skyrim-esque, I guess. [06:36.720 –> 06:43.200] Okay, all right, that’s, that’s, I mean, it’s a big game, so, like, [06:45.600 –> 06:53.280] but that’s cool, I’m glad you’re enjoying it. I didn’t think it was gonna do well when it came [06:53.280 –> 06:59.520] out, I thought it was gonna be a trash fire, but I’m glad that it’s actually come out okay for people. [07:00.800 –> 07:05.120] Yeah, it seems like a good one of those games. I think part of the problem, right, [07:05.120 –> 07:09.760] I was thinking about, like, you know, why people are so negative, I think space is just hard to do [07:10.640 –> 07:16.480] as a game, because I think what space means is a lot of different things to a lot of different [07:16.480 –> 07:21.440] people, right? Some people really want to engage with, like, ships and ship combat and have that [07:21.440 –> 07:26.880] be really deep and really interesting. Some people want, you know, complex world building with aliens [07:26.880 –> 07:31.760] and, you know, lots of different lore about, you know, different races interacting with each other, [07:32.720 –> 07:36.800] you know, and some people want just, like, basically space Star Wars, and all of those [07:36.800 –> 07:41.840] things are very different, and you could not put all three of those into one game, so I think [07:41.840 –> 07:48.800] that’s one of the challenges with making stuff in space. Sure, sure, it is, and, I mean, I guess, [07:48.800 –> 07:52.480] like, for me, you’re absolutely right, I haven’t even thought about that, like, I guess I like [07:52.480 –> 07:57.200] space, I guess I’d never think about it that deeply, but, I mean, because space is cool, [07:57.200 –> 08:03.360] of course, but even without the space, well, not with the space context, like, [08:03.360 –> 08:10.320] the well had been poisoned a little bit already, right? I mean, we’re talking, we got Fallout 76, [08:10.320 –> 08:18.880] right, that’s one of the memorable ones from Bethesda’s recently, we had No Man’s Sky, [08:18.880 –> 08:24.320] the other big space game, right, and that was Travesty when it came out, and wasn’t Starfield [08:24.320 –> 08:29.120] the one that was in early access for, like, ever? I honestly don’t remember, I barely pay attention [08:29.120 –> 08:33.840] to, like, early access of what’s going on for games outside of the cottagecore industry, it’s [08:33.840 –> 08:37.200] kind of like, they launch, and then, you know, whenever they hit the big hype thing, then I’m [08:37.200 –> 08:43.120] like, cool, I’ll jump into this, or I won’t, like, that’s, I don’t really pay that much attention to [08:43.120 –> 08:48.880] what’s in early access or not, because there’s too many cottagecore games, I can’t pay attention to [08:49.520 –> 08:55.040] seeing everything else. Yeah, no, I think that was… Oh, you might be thinking of Baldur’s Gate 3, [08:55.040 –> 09:00.880] that was in early access features. Maybe, I could be, I don’t know. Um, all right, but that’s cool, there you go, [09:00.880 –> 09:05.280] Starfield. Yeah, anyway, it’s like, for me, it’s like, I think if you like Bethesda games, there is a [09:05.280 –> 09:10.400] high likelihood that you will enjoy Starfield, and if you don’t like Bethesda games, then there’s [09:10.400 –> 09:15.280] a high likelihood that you won’t enjoy Starfield, because it’s a Bethesda game made by Bethesda, so [09:16.000 –> 09:22.880] um, it’s cool, I’m having fun with it. Kev, what have you been up to? Uh, good question, nothing of [09:24.160 –> 09:31.920] too much interest, my usual stuff, uh, Marvel Snap, seems to be Marvel Snap. Are you, are you, are you [09:31.920 –> 09:37.760] low-key-ing things up? Not yet, I’m, I’ve been contemplating, because, uh, that’s a really [09:37.760 –> 09:44.800] interesting card, a very chaotic card, right, and I like that concept. It’s a very powerful card as [09:44.880 –> 09:51.440] well. It is, um, yeah, I know, I need to look at the builds for that, I’ve just been going with [09:51.440 –> 09:57.920] my usual stuff, um, that game has been in a great place for a long time, it’s, it’s, I’m, I’m wary [09:57.920 –> 10:04.880] that the game continues doing this good, um, but yeah, that’s just my addiction, uh, Pokemon Unite, [10:04.880 –> 10:10.640] also the other addiction when I’m on the Switch, um, Mewtwo continues to be absurdly broken, [10:11.200 –> 10:16.000] and, uh, I mean, I, I still keep up, it is just my comfort game right now, Story of Seasons, [10:16.000 –> 10:22.960] um, the Wonderful Life remake. I am about to hit year five, um, well, well, well past whatever I [10:22.960 –> 10:29.040] made, um, and my kid is a teen, and boy, I, boy, teens are the worst, let me tell you. [10:31.200 –> 10:37.200] Um, aside from that, really, I just talked about Smooshy, that’s, that’s the big one, [10:38.000 –> 10:42.880] um, because that was this week, so yeah, that, that’s what we’ve been up to, [10:43.520 –> 10:48.000] so with that, let’s just dive into the new, shall we, and, uh, we can make this a literal dive, [10:48.000 –> 10:52.320] because the first one up is Coral Island, yay, all right, what is, what’s going on, [10:52.320 –> 10:58.880] Coral Island, we have an update, uh, it’s out now already, we have, let’s see, I don’t know what the [10:58.880 –> 11:04.720] video is, it’s Merfolk and Fall Update, that’s what I see off the bat, yeah, so there’s a new, [11:05.120 –> 11:11.120] or the next part of the story quest, like, a whole bunch of new features that you kind of [11:11.120 –> 11:16.800] won’t list, like, it just feels like sort of the next wave of stuff that you would likely expect [11:16.800 –> 11:22.480] to be in a Cottagecore game, um, uh, nothing massively stands out other than the fact that, [11:22.480 –> 11:26.480] you know, like, Merfolk, so there’s some, you know, water-based stuff, and, you know, [11:26.480 –> 11:31.520] I haven’t really played Coral Island, so it’s hard to get too deep into what it is, but it, [11:32.240 –> 11:37.040] sorry, go ahead, no, I just, I haven’t either, um, I haven’t played it either, and I’m just, [11:37.040 –> 11:43.280] I’m mostly curious, what do the Merfolk look like, is it, are they usual human half-fish bottom, or, [11:43.920 –> 11:48.480] are they going to be brave and do the opposite, that’s an excellent question, I do not know, [11:48.480 –> 11:54.880] um, but potentially the most exciting, uh, update that they’ve got is, um, an auto-chest, so the, [11:54.880 –> 12:00.800] the automation, um, in this game looks fantastic, uh, and basically I think all of the linked [12:00.800 –> 12:06.000] machines you can link to a chest that automatically collects the items, so, um, [12:06.000 –> 12:09.360] this game looks like it’s going hard with the automation, which seems pretty exciting. [12:10.000 –> 12:14.880] That, yeah, that tweet they have looks like, I mean, there’s a conveyor belt and chest, [12:14.880 –> 12:19.360] and they’re all linked, it’s pretty, wow, that, that looks right up Al’s alley, that’s, [12:19.360 –> 12:22.640] that’s a hardcore, and I think the cool thing, because my impression of the conveyor belt is [12:22.640 –> 12:28.480] it looks like it’s water, so it’s maybe like a water chute that’s carrying the, the strawberries, [12:28.640 –> 12:33.840] you’re ready to see that curve, um, which feels like a cool cottage call way of doing a conveyor [12:33.840 –> 12:41.760] belt, yeah, yeah, that’s pretty cool, um, that is neat to see, like, just to think about, well, [12:41.760 –> 12:48.160] I’m biased, the last job I had was conveyor stuff, so I now look at this stuff with interest, um, [12:49.200 –> 12:55.760] and then there’s a, um, charity cosmetics pack, uh, that you can purchase, so that comes out on [12:55.760 –> 13:02.400] September 12th, so it should be out, uh, when this, um, when this episode drops, uh, it’s out [13:02.400 –> 13:08.880] for a limited time, it’s, uh, five what I assume are American dollars, uh, and it’s got, looks like, [13:08.880 –> 13:15.760] uh, sort of save the ocean outfit, um, and a chest, there might be, uh, one or two other things, [13:15.760 –> 13:22.320] and, um, I’m assuming that means it goes to charity, although on the way this tweet is [13:22.320 –> 13:29.840] written, it’s not entirely clear who, like, who it would go to, Coral Guardian, I think it’s, [13:29.840 –> 13:35.520] like, the first one on the tweet, uh, unlike the first comment, let’s see, it’s in Coral Guardian, [13:35.520 –> 13:41.520] which is a non-profit organization dedicated to, uh, coral conference, coral ecosystem [13:41.520 –> 13:47.040] conservations, um, right, and things like that, so there you go, they’re working to save the sea, [13:47.680 –> 13:53.520] um, oh, coral reefs are cool, that’s good, go, go, go buy a thing, help save the sea, I like that, [13:53.520 –> 14:00.880] um, and yeah, there’s also fall update spooky stuff, Halloweeny stuff’s coming out, it looks [14:00.880 –> 14:08.800] like, um, but yeah, so there’s the, you can check the show notes, oh, I forgot, at the beginning, [14:08.800 –> 14:15.200] you can always see the, the, the links in the show notes, and the transcripts, as always, [14:15.200 –> 14:21.680] in the show notes, there, I said it, Al, you can relax now, um, let’s see, uh, so yeah, [14:21.680 –> 14:25.760] that’s Coral Island, um, yeah, you can see all the details on their Steam page for the update, [14:25.760 –> 14:28.800] or their Twitter account, or just click on the show, the links in the show notes, [14:30.400 –> 14:37.840] now, from Coral Island, we, Island hop on over to Moonstone Island, uh, let’s see, [14:37.840 –> 14:47.120] it is coming soon, September 20th is our PC and Mac release date, uh, yeah, so last, last week, [14:47.120 –> 14:52.560] um, uh, I think you guys mentioned that, uh, so this, we knew the September 20th date, but we [14:52.560 –> 14:58.560] didn’t know, uh, if that was all consoles or not, so it’s just the PC and Mac, and it’s coming to [14:58.560 –> 15:05.920] Switch later, so, you know, whatever that means, um, uh, but good to see they’re also aiming for [15:05.920 –> 15:14.960] Steam Deck Verification, um, yeah, yeah, there’s, uh, I’m just looking at the art they post, [15:14.960 –> 15:18.720] is that, there’s a fishbowl with legs, it looks like, I want to know what that’s about, [15:19.280 –> 15:29.520] um, but, uh, but yeah, there’s also, um, they’re tweeting up, hyping up, they got some non-binary [15:29.520 –> 15:34.960] characters in the game, and trans, um, so yeah, there’s your representation, that’s good stuff, [15:34.960 –> 15:39.760] good on them, um, Cottagecore always pushing, if you, you definitely feel like Cottagecore [15:39.760 –> 15:45.040] is a genre that’s always pushing, that’s part of it, um, I think that’s part of, [15:45.040 –> 15:50.640] you know, what, what we like about the genre, right, is it’s the sort of overlap between, [15:50.640 –> 15:56.240] you know, um, inclusiveness, doing the right thing, you know, between, uh, Coral Island, [15:56.240 –> 15:59.600] you know, releasing a water update and, and putting a little, together a little cosmetic [15:59.600 –> 16:05.360] pack to donate to a related charity, you know, really promoting the inclusion of, um, [16:05.360 –> 16:09.600] uh, sorry, Moose Island, really promoting the inclusion of non-binary and trans characters, [16:09.600 –> 16:15.920] I think is, is really awesome, um, particularly, I guess, you know, um, in the past week, we’re not, [16:15.920 –> 16:20.000] I don’t want to delve into it too much, but some of the commentary around Starfield having the [16:20.000 –> 16:25.200] horrific option of letting people choose their pronouns, oh my gosh, I saw that tweet, just [16:26.000 –> 16:31.920] some of the stupid over-the-top reactions to a choice that just makes the game more inclusive [16:31.920 –> 16:39.040] for more people has been really disappointing, so just to see, you know, smaller publishers [16:39.040 –> 16:43.760] not afraid to promote these things in their games, because it’s one of the things, right, it’s, it’s [16:44.480 –> 16:51.760] a hard space for particularly small companies given, you know, you look at what’s happened [16:51.760 –> 16:56.080] where some businesses, you know, there’s boycotts and all sorts of things, like it’s, it’s not [16:56.080 –> 17:01.920] zero risk for them to, to promote, um, this sort of stuff, it’s, you know, disgusting that, [17:01.920 –> 17:07.920] that’s the case, but, um, yeah, I just think these sorts of things should be, um, celebrated. [17:08.800 –> 17:15.280] Yeah, no, absolutely, much more well put than I am, than I said it, um, yeah, no, I, I fully agree, [17:15.280 –> 17:24.320] and it, yeah, it is a big deal for sure, um, and as Al pointed out in the Slack chat, like, even [17:24.320 –> 17:32.560] among cottagecore, I don’t think we’ve gotten that many, like, at least NPC types of, uh, [17:33.600 –> 17:39.200] non-binary trans, I can’t recall of any off the top of my head, other than Kim and Wildflowers, [17:39.920 –> 17:44.240] um, yeah, I couldn’t, I couldn’t recall of any either, and I think it’s one of those things that [17:44.240 –> 17:49.120] I expect we’ll see more of, but we’ve mostly seen it in letting player characters sort of [17:49.680 –> 17:57.520] make those choices, um, for their own character, but we haven’t seen a lot of that in, in PCs. [17:57.520 –> 18:05.120] Yep, so there you go, um, hats off to you, uh, Moonstone Island, that’s the one, yeah, [18:05.120 –> 18:12.080] the, I am checking, because our next one is another island, Spirit of the Island, uh, we [18:12.160 –> 18:19.360] have got an update, uh, Adventureland DLC, it’s coming out October 3rd, [18:20.400 –> 18:26.640] let’s see, what is in this update? So you can, um, create new amusements and sort of monetize [18:26.640 –> 18:35.760] your land, um, so kind of make, I guess, uh, a little, um, uh, theme park, um, but probably, [18:35.760 –> 18:40.000] you know, the, the more interesting piece of this, this bit of news is a bit of a road map, [18:40.000 –> 18:46.720] uh, around the future for Spirit of the Island, so they’ve got the, um, Adventureland DLC, [18:46.720 –> 18:52.000] they’ve got a big storyline update also planned to be coming, um, at the start of October, [18:52.000 –> 18:58.640] uh, it sounds like that’s independent from the DLC, um, it seems a bit, because it seems like [18:58.640 –> 19:02.240] the storyline is making them sort of feature complete, but it’s separate to the DLC, it’s [19:02.240 –> 19:07.760] just very confusing that those two things are sort of releasing at the same time, um, but probably [19:07.760 –> 19:13.040] the most exciting thing is for Q4, uh, of this year, uh, they’ve got console releases planned [19:13.040 –> 19:18.800] for PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch, which is, um, which is very exciting, more stuff coming to [19:18.800 –> 19:25.280] consoles is good, um, and then some cross-platform release, uh, with a mobile version of the game in [19:25.280 –> 19:36.560] Q1 of next year. Yeah, it should be noted that, um, they are going for cross-play between all [19:36.640 –> 19:44.160] platforms, but not cross-save, from what I’m understanding, okay, um, yeah, yeah, yeah, [19:44.160 –> 19:49.520] you can’t move a saved file, okay, then I guess you can move your character and join them, but [19:49.520 –> 19:55.360] your own save file, you can’t, uh, move between consoles, or platforms, whatever, um, but, you [19:55.360 –> 20:00.880] know, there’s still cross-play, so that’s cool, um, so yeah, that, there’s some big stuff coming, [20:00.880 –> 20:06.160] and like I said, once they’re feature complete with, uh, this, or the update on October 3rd, [20:06.160 –> 20:11.840] they’ll be focusing on just new quality of life, and bug fixes, and so on, and so forth, so [20:12.720 –> 20:21.280] there you go, uh, coming soon to Spirit of the Island. Next up, we have one of our favorites, [20:21.840 –> 20:32.240] Research Story, um, they, uh, is this out already? Let me make sure, uh, because they are at the, uh, [20:32.240 –> 20:38.640] mid-autumn festival, with, uh, let’s see, a new soundtrack, and, oh, just a whole bunch of new [20:38.640 –> 20:47.200] stuff for the fall festival type event, um, let’s see here, they’re working on a beta with, uh, [20:47.200 –> 20:54.160] Simplified Chinese, and, uh, let’s see, a road map as well, hold on, I’m scrolling down the Steam [20:54.160 –> 20:59.360] page, I’m looking over these, uh, not, not much on the, the road map, they’re just working on [20:59.360 –> 21:05.360] some of their stuff around, um, uh, NPCs and stuff, but for me this is kind of just like a, [21:05.360 –> 21:10.640] a good next step in their, uh, are they calling it beta or early access? Whichever, whichever thing [21:10.640 –> 21:16.320] that they are in, um, you know, still in early access is, you know, version 0.5, so it looks [21:16.320 –> 21:21.840] like good progress, and I am still, you know, kind of just waiting for 1.0. All right, yeah, [21:21.840 –> 21:28.240] there you go, um, yeah, no, I get it, there’s a lot they’re working on, but it looks like it’s [21:28.240 –> 21:38.400] going at a good pace, so good on you, research story, uh, and okay, next up we have My Time at [21:38.400 –> 21:45.920] Sandrock, we have a new trailer, uh, let’s see, I, I’m actually just watching for the first time, [21:47.120 –> 21:53.200] so when I watched the trailer, like, I didn’t see anything that looked that new or unexpected from [21:53.200 –> 21:58.880] what I was expecting, so, um, just, uh, for clarity, My Time at Sandrock is the My Time at [21:58.880 –> 22:04.320] Portia, you know, or the next game from the developers, um, of My Time at Portia, uh, [22:05.440 –> 22:10.080] I really hated My Time at Portia, and I really think I should not play My Time at Sandrock, [22:10.080 –> 22:16.560] but the trailer looks really, really good, it looks really good, like, just everything about [22:16.560 –> 22:22.800] this game is very distinct, it just looks like a very good cottagecore game, which is [22:22.800 –> 22:26.560] exactly what I thought about My Time at Portia, so I’m very nervous, but I think I’m gonna have [22:26.560 –> 22:30.800] to give this a go, and I really like the more western-style setting, I think it’s a [22:31.360 –> 22:39.040] cool, unique setting for a cottagecore game. Yeah, I agree, um, yeah, no, I agree, but I mean, [22:39.040 –> 22:45.040] we got tumbleweeds actually going through the town, that’s great, um, and, and yeah, we got [22:45.040 –> 22:51.840] desert plateaus and mesas and all that good stuff, um, we have, I don’t know if the date, [22:51.840 –> 23:00.160] the trailer’s saying November 2nd, we have, uh, the 1.0 release, uh, and it will be on [23:00.160 –> 23:07.200] pretty much everything, the Xboxes, the PS5, the Steam and the Switch, all that good stuff, um, [23:08.640 –> 23:16.560] yeah, so that will be here before we know it, um, and something that will probably not be here [23:16.560 –> 23:25.280] before we know it, um, we got, uh, ConcernedApe with his usual, uh, one sentence followed by a [23:25.280 –> 23:30.560] screenshot of a haunted chocolatier, there’s a guy having a terrible dream, he’s an old man [23:30.560 –> 23:39.200] looking guy, that’s it, that’s the tweet, um, oh, Concerned, it’s hard to get mad at ConcernedApe [23:39.200 –> 23:46.160] with his, his continual drip feed of just random screenshots and comments considering, like, [23:46.800 –> 23:53.440] work on Stardew Valley is still going on and, and whatnot, um, but I think we all still have a lot [23:53.440 –> 24:00.000] of faith in him and, you know, there’s plenty of games in the beat in, uh, to play in the meantime, [24:00.000 –> 24:04.080] so I’m not in any hurry for Haunted Chocolatier, I just find it funny how he posts that every now [24:04.080 –> 24:08.480] then. Yeah, I’ve just decided Haunted Chocolatier is not real until it actually comes out, [24:09.440 –> 24:16.480] like, it could just be ConcernedApe just making random screens of stuff and posting that, [24:16.480 –> 24:21.120] that’s, that’s what I choose to believe until we see some actual gameplay. You know, that’s fine, [24:21.120 –> 24:28.160] um, something that’s very real is, uh, our, the next game we’re talking about, [24:28.800 –> 24:38.400] Usagi Shima, um, so this is a, what is wholesome, I’m confused by what wholesome games is, um, [24:38.480 –> 24:41.360] because I know it’s the Direct and whatnot, but is it an actual company? [24:42.880 –> 24:47.920] I don’t know anymore, like, I, I, I thought it was just a Twitter account. [24:49.440 –> 24:55.440] Um, regardless, anyways, Usagi Shima is a game available on the Google Play and App Store, [24:56.080 –> 25:03.200] um, where you collect bunnies, uh, and they are very cute bunnies, some of them, [25:04.000 –> 25:07.360] well, no, most of them are pretty round, but then they’ll, they will move around, [25:08.160 –> 25:12.960] um, you can put hats on them, uh, you’re collecting these, oh my gosh, you can put some [25:12.960 –> 25:20.160] in beds, it’s got a very, very pretty art style, um, kind of like the, you know, the [25:21.200 –> 25:27.120] ancient Japanese scroll type style, like Okami, that, that sort of art direction. [25:28.000 –> 25:33.280] Yeah, that’s exactly what it reminds me of. Have you played, uh, have you given it a go yet? [25:33.920 –> 25:35.040] What, Okami? [25:35.040 –> 25:35.760] Uh, Usagi Shima. [25:35.760 –> 25:38.880] Oh, oh, Usagi, oh, no I have not, have you? [25:39.440 –> 25:44.560] Yes, yes, so, um, I downloaded it this morning, maybe an hour before we started recording, [25:44.560 –> 25:49.120] uh, and you kind of just, you know, you buy decorations, you put them on your land, [25:49.120 –> 25:53.040] and they attract bunnies, and bunnies have different things that they’re attracted to, [25:53.040 –> 25:57.040] and they will leave you a tip in carrots so that you can buy more stuff to kind of [25:57.040 –> 26:01.120] collect the bunnies, so it’s a really nice little cycle for a mobile game. [26:02.000 –> 26:10.640] Um, it’s free to play, um, free to play, and you kind of can, uh, so there’s two forms of [26:10.640 –> 26:16.720] monetization, um, you can double some of the carrots you get as rewards by watching ads, [26:17.040 –> 26:23.360] or you can just pay to remove the ads directly, uh, which is kind of awesome, like, it’s a really, [26:24.080 –> 26:28.160] uh, it’s a good form of monetization, I guess, for a mobile game. [26:28.720 –> 26:36.480] Yeah, it is, um, and four dollars seems like the right price, um, because the gameplay doesn’t seem [26:36.480 –> 26:41.280] particularly deep, it’s mostly collected in place and look at the pretty thing, but, [26:42.080 –> 26:45.840] boy, this is so cute, this, these bunnies are so cute, and everything they’re doing, [26:45.840 –> 26:50.960] there’s one sunbathing, there’s one playing at the beach ball, um, it’s very, very cute, [26:51.600 –> 26:57.920] um, yeah, I prob- oh gosh, do I- there are too many good things out right now that are too close [26:57.920 –> 27:03.040] to Maneko’s Night Market, I can’t, can’t handle this. See, this is a good one, because it’s a [27:03.040 –> 27:07.360] sort of like, you know, you play for five minutes and then there’s nothing else to do, and then you [27:07.360 –> 27:12.320] can put it back down, so you should definitely play this. Alright, well, there you go, I’ll try [27:12.400 –> 27:19.680] it, he’s convinced me, um, so yeah, there you go, that, uh, that is out, like I said, it’s out now [27:19.680 –> 27:25.120] already, um, several people we know are already getting it, and I, I, they seem to be enjoying it, [27:25.120 –> 27:34.560] so, uh, it’s like, yeah, uh, go get it peoples. Uh, and I think that is the news for this week, [27:34.560 –> 27:41.680] whole bunch of updates and things. Now, let us just dive right on in to, uh, our main topic, [27:41.680 –> 27:48.240] uh, Shumi Come Home. Okay, let me look up the developer, I can’t even, small humble onion, [27:48.240 –> 27:53.360] is that what it is? Uh, some humble, some humble onion. Some humble onion, there you go. [27:53.920 –> 28:00.080] So, they’re the developers, this is out on Switch, it’s on, on Steam, um, available now, [28:00.080 –> 28:07.360] it costs 20 US bucks, um, and, okay, what are, what’s your initial opinion, [28:08.160 –> 28:13.600] Johnny, thumbs up, thumbs down, just give us a real thought. Yeah, so this gets a strong thumbs [28:13.600 –> 28:20.480] up from me, um, it’s a short game, uh, I think I 100%ed it in maybe six, five or six hours. [28:20.480 –> 28:25.440] That’s correct, that’s about what I did too. Yeah, so it’s, it’s not a super long game, [28:25.920 –> 28:31.600] but I also think it’s the right length, right? Like, for me, it was a really great end-to-end [28:31.600 –> 28:34.800] experience, when I was done, I was like, actually, I feel like that was, you know, [28:34.800 –> 28:41.200] I didn’t necessarily want more of that, but I really enjoyed the time that I had, [28:41.200 –> 28:49.440] um, with the game, and so I think what was, um, most interesting, I was trying to think, [28:49.440 –> 28:55.120] as I was playing the game, of what it reminded me of, or what sort of feeling it evoked as I [28:55.120 –> 29:00.640] was playing, and the closest I could come to was it reminded me of, like, the old sort of Spyro [29:00.640 –> 29:06.560] games, um, where you kind of, you know, just exploring the world, and finding stuff, [29:06.560 –> 29:10.720] and kind of uncovering stuff, and I’m sure it’d be very different if I went back and played one [29:10.720 –> 29:13.840] of those games, because I was probably, you know, like, six or seven when I was playing those, [29:13.840 –> 29:18.000] but that was sort of the, the feeling that I had while I was playing, playing this. [29:18.880 –> 29:22.400] That’s, I, well, I can’t, I haven’t, I haven’t played the old Spyro, so honestly, I can’t, [29:23.280 –> 29:28.960] I can’t comment on that, but I’m gonna take a step back here, let me give the Primus the [29:28.960 –> 29:35.200] elevator pitch to the listener, um, so Smooshy Come Home is a game about Smooshy, a little [29:35.200 –> 29:41.680] mushroom guy, um, just, just a little guy with a mushroom hat, um, and he lives on a little island [29:41.680 –> 29:48.160] with his siblings, and then a bird comes and yoinks him away, uh, he is thankfully not eaten, [29:48.160 –> 29:54.560] he manages to escape, uh, but he ends up some forest where he does not know, and he needs to [29:54.560 –> 30:00.160] figure out how to go back home, hence the name Smooshy Come Home, uh, and so yeah, the point of [30:00.160 –> 30:05.120] the game is you’re trying to make back your way back to home, you are climbing and exploring and [30:05.120 –> 30:10.880] gliding, um, up front you get a little leaf glider and a little climbing gear, um, and so you’re [30:10.880 –> 30:17.360] going through this, I would say Pikmin style world where, you know, you’re a little mushroom, [30:17.360 –> 30:22.640] so you’re in a forest and everything’s big and whatnot, um, and you encounter lots of other [30:22.640 –> 30:28.240] little forest type critters and other mushrooms, this game likes mushrooms, there’s a mushroom [30:28.240 –> 30:35.360] compendium, like real life mushroom compendium in the game, um, so the mushroom compendium, [30:35.840 –> 30:41.520] sorry, uh, we’ll come back, do you thumbs up, thumbs down? We didn’t. Oh yes, uh, super thumbs [30:41.520 –> 30:50.400] up, um, really hard thumbs up, because yeah, it’s a very, this game feels like a hug, it’s just so [30:50.400 –> 31:00.720] cozy and, and warm, um, I enjoyed it, and, and on a, it’s also, I think, really well designed, [31:00.720 –> 31:07.600] um, which I find a lot of even bigger studios struggle with, like everything is very thoughtfully [31:08.560 –> 31:13.840] laid out, um, I didn’t get stuck once, and this is the kind of game where you could easily get stuck, [31:13.840 –> 31:19.600] or no, not where, not know where to go next, but I think it’s very good at guiding you, and not even [31:19.600 –> 31:26.400] like real, like, it’s not direct, there’s no big arrows pointing go here, well for the most part, [31:26.400 –> 31:31.040] you can speak to some NPCs and they can give you a push, just from looking around you can find [31:31.040 –> 31:37.760] stuff, um, just because that’s, uh, it looks interesting, kind of like Breath of the Wild, [31:37.760 –> 31:42.960] to be quite frank, like, it’s hard not to think about that, because there’s the gliding and the [31:42.960 –> 31:50.800] climbing, and it feels like a little bit of that formula went into this, um, yeah, absolutely, [31:50.800 –> 31:55.440] because there’s a lot of, yeah, there’s a lot of like, you sort of see something, you go there, [31:55.440 –> 32:00.000] there’s a thing to do there, and then you kind of just see the next thing, and you kind of, [32:00.000 –> 32:05.120] like, the, the way you are sort of encouraged to move around the world feels very natural. [32:05.120 –> 32:12.560] Yep, absolutely, um, also, um, I should mention this is, the art style is like full 3D, [32:13.120 –> 32:20.480] cel-shaded-y, um, like it, someone on this team like Wind Waker, because they’re, it’s, [32:20.480 –> 32:25.280] it’s got a big Wind Waker feeling from the leaf glider to, uh, the, the, one of the [32:25.280 –> 32:30.800] symbols, the wind essence, like, that feels straight out of Wind Waker, um, and also Pikmin, [32:30.800 –> 32:36.080] a lot of the guys remind me of Pikmin, um, it’s also a very entertaining game, the, uh, [32:36.080 –> 32:42.720] there’s writing and, uh, the characters are very charming and over the place, um, I got a pretty, [32:42.720 –> 32:46.880] a few decent laughs out of the game. The power of crystals is cool. [32:46.880 –> 32:56.960] It’s so cool, definitely, AMBP, um, yeah. But no, you’re right, the writing in this game [32:56.960 –> 33:03.520] is fantastic, it’s like very, a very fun world to be in, and, uh, one of my favorite things, [33:03.520 –> 33:08.320] sort of, in the game is the, the mushroom compendium, um, so as you encounter different [33:08.320 –> 33:10.960] mushrooms, as you’ll make your way through the forest and make your way back home, [33:11.440 –> 33:16.640] um, you sort of have a notebook where there’s, you know, notes on the different sorts of mushrooms [33:16.640 –> 33:21.200] and it gives, I think, their, their proper scientific name and some facts about the [33:21.200 –> 33:25.600] mushroom, and then Smooshy has some comments about the mushrooms. Smooshy’s notes for every [33:26.240 –> 33:30.720] entry. They’re always really funny because there’s a few where he talks about the taste of mushrooms [33:30.720 –> 33:35.840] and then he kind of questions why he’s thinking about the taste of mushrooms, which is our second [33:35.840 –> 33:42.400] reference to cannibalism this episode. Yeah, you’re right, I forgot about it. [33:42.400 –> 33:49.840] It’s just a very, like, it’s very funny in a way that is, like, you’re not going to be, like, [33:49.840 –> 33:54.560] laughing out loud all of the time, but it’s just, I really like the description that you said a [33:54.560 –> 33:57.520] while back, right? Like, this game kind of feels like a hug where it’s just like, [33:57.520 –> 34:03.360] oh that’s really nice and well written, like, it’s not trying to overly be funny or to be funny all [34:03.360 –> 34:07.680] of the time, it’s just that the funny bits generally land really well, I found. Yeah, [34:08.560 –> 34:20.400] yeah, I agree, and I like the mushroom that with the strawberry guy, and there’s a strawberry [34:20.400 –> 34:29.040] hoarder and a guy who looks like a strawberry, and that was funny. But yeah, I’m trying to think, [34:29.600 –> 34:35.760] the gameplay itself, like we said, the exploration feels good, very Breath of the Wild-y, [34:36.080 –> 34:42.800] and a big part of the game is, well, so there’s different areas, you go in and there’s, like, [34:42.800 –> 34:49.840] a big roadblock, that’s the primary objective. Like, clear a tunnel, move this obstacle, [34:49.840 –> 34:56.640] whatever, but there’s all sorts of areas and side areas with little upgrades, that’s a big part of [34:56.640 –> 35:04.400] the gameplay, I think, looking around, finding these little upgrades which give you increased [35:05.120 –> 35:14.080] glider time or gives you more Naruto running, and things like that. Oh, and most importantly, [35:14.080 –> 35:20.000] you get different outfits for Smooshy, you get different mushroom hats, one of the biggest ones, [35:22.000 –> 35:28.880] and nothing feels like Koroks from Breath of the Wild where there’s just too many and all over the [35:28.880 –> 35:36.640] place. Again, all thoughtfully laid out and just enough where I didn’t get tired of any upgrade or [35:36.640 –> 35:43.040] felt like there wasn’t enough of one or the other. Yeah, and there’s lots of little challenges, [35:43.040 –> 35:48.480] right, and I think that’s one of the things that this game does really well, is sometimes it’ll be [35:48.480 –> 35:52.720] a platforming challenge or a challenge related to using your glider, or there are just enough [35:52.720 –> 36:00.320] challenges about exploring the world that you’re in, or you need to go and find an object [36:00.320 –> 36:05.360] and bring it back. There’s just enough… each of the puzzles feels distinct enough [36:06.800 –> 36:13.200] while continuing to build off the formula that the game establishes, and it’s only six hours, [36:13.200 –> 36:17.920] right, so it’s not like they had to stretch tons of content out of the relatively limited [36:17.920 –> 36:22.080] skill set of the game, but it feels like, you know, it just builds really well, it utilizes [36:22.080 –> 36:26.080] the things that it does, and there’s enough variety in each of the challenges, so you’re not just doing [36:26.080 –> 36:30.320] the same thing in a different location, and it’s slightly harder because you’re slightly later in [36:30.320 –> 36:42.160] the game. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, and this game very, you know, very, like, I feel the word cozy [36:42.160 –> 36:48.960] is almost overused in this genre, it gets a lot of push, but this game I think really captures [36:48.960 –> 36:56.880] it well, and it doesn’t, it very explicitly, even in character, mentions, like, you don’t have to be, [36:56.880 –> 37:02.160] it doesn’t have, things don’t have to be super hard or tough, and they will scale down the [37:02.160 –> 37:05.760] challenges if you want, they’ll give you options for that, and it doesn’t push you to do these [37:05.760 –> 37:11.680] really difficult challenges or anything, and it’s in a very non-condescending way, [37:14.000 –> 37:18.080] I really like that, you know, I didn’t use them myself, but the options were there and that was [37:18.080 –> 37:23.360] nice to see. Yeah, and I think one of my favorite things, right, so this game just has such a [37:23.360 –> 37:27.840] positive tone, so, like, the character of Smooshy is great in that even the characters that he [37:27.840 –> 37:33.680] encounters that can be slightly antagonistic, he always approaches them with, like, you know, real [37:33.680 –> 37:42.080] kindness and, you know, and or fear, yeah, yeah, and it often sort of, you know, turns them round [37:42.080 –> 37:46.320] and makes them make some dice, and there’s, like, a few sort of challenge levels where [37:48.800 –> 37:53.040] you have to do, you know, a version of something and then a slightly harder version of that thing, [37:53.040 –> 37:56.560] and then an even harder version of that thing that no one has ever done before, and, like, [37:56.560 –> 38:00.160] the characters are always so stoked that you could complete this thing that no one’s ever completed [38:00.160 –> 38:03.920] before. I don’t know if it’s particularly difficult, but it doesn’t make it feel any [38:03.920 –> 38:08.560] less satisfying to kind of have done it and to have, you know, that sort of reaction. I thought [38:08.560 –> 38:12.160] that was just, like, I don’t know, there’s something about it that felt really genuine [38:12.160 –> 38:17.200] in kind of a goofy way but not a condescending way, which I really enjoyed. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. [38:18.160 –> 38:30.000] Yeah, 100%. Well, I’m trying to think, you know, there’s not much to spoil in this game, [38:30.720 –> 38:35.840] but I do want to talk about the last area, which is probably the most spoilery, [38:35.840 –> 38:41.600] or, you know what, yeah, yeah, this, all right, I’m putting the warning here that from here on [38:41.600 –> 38:45.600] we’re going to talk about whatever and get into maybe more specific things we enjoyed. [38:45.600 –> 38:49.840] And just before, like, I guess just before anyone sort of fast forwards, I, from a, you know, [38:50.560 –> 38:54.640] my take is that a huge part of the sort of spoilers of this game are kind of the specifics [38:54.640 –> 38:58.320] around some of the puzzles and how it plays and some of those sorts of things, so, like, [38:58.320 –> 39:03.360] I would highly recommend going and playing the game, but, yeah, I’m kind of keen, because we’ve [39:03.360 –> 39:08.240] kind of been dancing around some of the specific, you know, puzzles or things that we enjoy because [39:08.240 –> 39:12.160] half the fun of this game is sort of coming across those things and finding them, so, [39:12.160 –> 39:22.160] yeah, yeah, absolutely. Let’s go full spoils. I mean, for me, the big spoils is the Cappy [39:22.160 –> 39:28.560] Bearers somehow make an appearance in this game, too. I didn’t expect it, but you can ride and, [39:28.560 –> 39:33.440] you can ride a Cappy Bearer, and that’s really well done. I like that Cappy, those three, [39:33.440 –> 39:38.240] there’s three Cappy Bearers. I like them all. That was a fun segment. The Cappy Bearers are [39:38.240 –> 39:43.120] super fun and super silly, and because I think I knew, it was, I think it was in the trailer that [39:43.120 –> 39:47.600] Cappy Bearer was going to be in the game, and I think it was even revealed that you ride the [39:47.600 –> 39:51.600] Cappy Bearer to get home, but I was expecting that to just be the challenge for the level was, like, [39:52.160 –> 39:56.960] you need to make the Cappy Bearer your friend so he takes you home, which in theory it was, [39:56.960 –> 40:01.360] but what I wasn’t expecting is to ride the Cappy Bearer around that level and for that to be the [40:01.360 –> 40:07.520] way that that level was designed. That was thoroughly enjoyable. It’s so cool. It’s so, [40:07.520 –> 40:16.720] yeah, it was great. Here comes your boat. Actually, the water part in general, like, [40:16.720 –> 40:20.720] you can, you get the ability to dive halfway through, and that’s really cool. The water, [40:21.280 –> 40:24.560] everything looks really pretty, right, and I really liked how they designed the water area [40:24.560 –> 40:30.880] specifically. Yeah, I agree. I think the water area was great. Yeah, the water feels like, [40:32.160 –> 40:39.360] like the freshwater lake pond area, lots of roots and things down there. That was, [40:40.240 –> 40:46.880] yeah, that whole last area with the pond was really fun. And I really enjoyed the relationship [40:46.880 –> 40:51.280] between the Cappy Bearers, so the, you know, the relationship being, you know, the older sibling [40:51.280 –> 40:55.280] who’s kind of annoyed his younger siblings, and now they’re not going to be his friends. And [40:55.280 –> 40:59.920] I think the, like, the younger brother one in particular, where the younger brother was annoyed [40:59.920 –> 41:04.480] because the older brother didn’t want to go on a picnic with him, despite the fact that he had no [41:04.480 –> 41:08.720] food for the picnic and no real plan, it was just a thing he wanted to do, was so funny. [41:09.120 –> 41:15.680] I mean, he’s wearing a bucket, that’s a good one from the start, just [41:16.720 –> 41:20.960] good old bucket Cappy Bear, and Chunky, his little new mushroom friend. [41:25.520 –> 41:29.520] How long have you been down here? Sorry, you just reminded me of Chunky being stuck in the hole, [41:29.520 –> 41:32.560] and how, like, over it he is, and he’s been the